Of Pranks and Nargles
by linksofmemories
Summary: fanfic100 challenge for Fred/Luna. Fruna.
1. Beginnings

_001. Beginnings_

"Lovegood, Luna," Professor McGonagall read off of the long list of student names.

Fred Weasley watched from his spot at the Gryffindor table as a petite 11 year-old girl with long blonde hair sat down on the three-legged stool. Even from the distance he was at he could tell there wasn't something quite right about her. She had a spacey expression and her wand was tucked loosely behind her ear, looking like it could fall at any second.

The hat pondered for a few seconds before giving out its verdict.

"RAVENCLAW!" the Sorting Hat roared, its voice traveling throughout the hall.

The Ravenclaw table clapped excitedly and Fred clapped lightly along with the rest of the Gryffindors. He was in his fourth year and couldn't possibly think of why he would ever talk to the girl, and the fact that she was now in Ravenclaw only put more distance between them.

The rest of the sorting went on and ended with Fred's own sister, Ginny, being sorted into Gryffindor along with the rest of her siblings. Ginny walked to the table and sat across from Fred and his twin, George.

"Where's Ron?" she asked, looking up and down the table.

"Dunno," George shrugged. "Somewhere around here, I guess."

"You mean you don't know either?" a voice from a few seats down asked.

Ginny and the twins looked in that direction to see Hermione Granger sitting there without the presence of her two best friends, Ron and Harry Potter.

"No," Fred shook his head.

The feast began soon and Fred was too busy eating to pay attention to anything until something Ginny started to say caught his attention.

"That Luna Lovegood girl who got sorted into Ravenclaw is going to have a rough year," she said, helping herself to mashed potatoes.

"How so?" Fred asked.

"She's not exactly… Well there's nothing wrong with her, she's just…" Ginny's voice trailed off as she tried to think of the appropriate word.

"Different?" George prompted.

"Yeah," Ginny nodded. "I already heard some of the students giving her a nickname. _Loony _Lovegood."

George snorted into his napkin while Fred perked an eyebrow.

"That's pathetic," George said thoughtfully.

"I know, isn't it horrible?" Ginny said earnestly.

"Yeah, you would think they could have thought of a better nickname," Fred agreed with a small laugh. "The girl hasn't even had her first day of classes yet, Gin."

"She's probably just nervous," George said nonchalantly.

The conversation took a different route so Fred tuned them out once again and focused on eating. His eyes drifted up and down the Gryffindor table in search of his little brother, but they slowly moved past the Hufflepuff table and to the Ravenclaw table.

She wasn't sitting alone, but wasn't talking to anyone either. There didn't seem to be anything completely bizarre about her. George was probably right about the nerves.

After dinner when they all began to make their way to their common rooms Fred caught a glimpse of a frantic Hermione rustling through a crowd of Gryffindors and trying to find her friends. Had Ron and Harry really not made the train?

Fred was about to tell George that their little brother was missing so they could start a search when a dreamy voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I've never seen so many Wrackspurts floating around one person before."

Turning, Fred looked down to see Loon- er, Luna Lovegood standing there with a vacant expression as she stared at some mystery object around his head. Up close he began to see where the term "loony" came from.

Other than her spacey expression, huge blue eyes, and her wand that was just threatening to slide out from behind her ear, she also wore radish earrings and a butterbeer cork necklace. Not to mention she just mentioned Wrackspurts. Whatever those were.

"Uh, pardon?" Fred said after gawking at her for a few seconds.

"Your brain must be awfully fuzzy," she said as her eyes continued to look around his head.

Apparently nerves weren't apart of her strangeness. She was just downright bizarre. No worries though, George and Lee would come rescue him soon enough- Wait, was that them?

Over Luna's head Fred could make out two distinct and clear figures that could only be his twin and best friend. Both were watching Fred with amused expressions on their faces. Gits.

"My brain's fine, thanks," Fred said to Luna as he tried to walk around her to get to George and Lee.

"Not with all of those Wrackspurts around," she said, looking him right in the eyes now as she side-stepped in front of him to block his path. "You should go to the hospital wing to get your head looked at."

"Good idea," Fred nodded. "I'll do that now."

He quickly walked around her and started toward George and Lee when her voice reached him again.

"I may be mistaken, but isn't it the other way?" Luna asked.

He could keep walking and pretend he had never heard her. That would be the end of that and he would most likely never have to talk to her again. The thought was very appealing, but then he thought back to what Ginny had been saying. Not even one class and already given an unflattering nickname was going to be tough no matter how much she could act like she didn't mind. Or notice for that matter.

"I'll go tomorrow," Fred said, turning around slightly. "You should be heading toward your common room, um…"

Even though he knew her name he trailed off so she could introduce herself properly.

"Luna Lovegood," she said simply. "It might be too late in the morning. The Wrackspurts might have called Nargles by then. I suggest you go now…"

She mimicked him by trailing off herself. The corners of his lips twitched up in an involuntary grin.

"Fred Weasley," he supplied.

With that he was walking back toward George and Lee. Away from that strange, little girl.


	2. Fire

_052. Fire_

With the first week of classes almost over Luna Lovegood was finding Hogwarts to be a very strange, but enjoyable school. Strange in the sense that all of the first years had already found a group of people to talk to, but excluded Luna. Everyone excluded Luna.

Whether it was meal time in the Great Hall or group work in class no one seemed to want to even talk to her. They talked _about_ her, but not _to_ her.

Luna had written a rather lengthy letter to her father, Xenophilius, about the odd behavior of the other students and he informed her that they were all just jealous of her superior intellect when it came to exotic creatures. Satisfied with this clearly correct information, Luna had ignored the other students. If they didn't even bother to get her name right she saw no point in talking to them.

This is what she told herself anyway.

She had never truly had someone to call a friend. Everyone always seemed to be laughing at her or inching away from her. There was no one to turn to other than her father and he wasn't the speediest at replying to her letters. Envy always seemed to fill her up as she passed groups of gossiping girls or laughing boys in the hallways at school.

There wasn't any other time she could recall feeling this lonely.

Walking through the hallway on her way to Potions, Luna spotted a group of Slytherin boys smirking at her. Ignoring them like always was easy until she noticed her robes were smoking.

Looking down quickly, Luna saw a small flame on the hem of her robes. The fire was beginning to spread and Luna felt herself panic. She had only been in classes for a week and no one had taught her how to put out fires or extract water from her wand or…

Before another thought could pop into her head she was being smothered by a Gryffindor robe and tackled on to the hard stone floor. The entire hallway was quiet and before Luna could even breathe the Gryffindor robe was removed from over her body and she saw the face of Fred Weasley looking down at her.

"You all right?" he asked, standing up and offering her his hand.

She took it slowly and he helped her to her feet. Not even waiting for a response from her, Fred turned around and glared at the Slytherin boys.

"Get outta here you slimy gits!" he barked and the boys quickly scuttled down the hallway.

"I'm fine," Luna squeaked as she began to walk toward the entrance of the dungeons.

"No use in going to class now," Fred shrugged, taking Luna's elbow and spinning her around to drag her down the other end of the hallway. "You're already late and we need to get you to the hospital wing."

"We?" Luna asked as she took her elbow out of his grasp.

Fred didn't even have to answer. All he did was nod to the end of the hallway and Luna saw someone who looked exactly like Fred. At first she wondered if the cloning rumor at the Ministry was actually true until she got close enough to see that they didn't look anything alike at all. Fred was slightly shorter than this other boy and his face was more rounded.

"This is George, my twin, if you couldn't tell," Fred told Luna. "This is Luna Lovegood who just got set on fire my Malfoy and his idiot friends."

"Malfoy?" Luna questioned.

"One of the Slytherins who attacked you, no doubt," George said.

"Oh no," Luna said, shaking her head. "I was attacked by Heliopaths."

"By what?" George asked.

"Heliopaths."

"We heard that part, but what are they exactly?" Fred asked.

"Terrible fire demons," Luna explained as she walked with the twins down the hallway. "Cornelius Fudge himself has a secret army of them."

George snickered into the back of his hand while Fred looked thoughtful.

"I always thought there was something wrong about him," he said.

Luna beamed at him. This was it. Fred Weasley could be her first friend at Hogwarts. He was already agreeing with her on her Heliopath army theory, something it had taken weeks to convince her own father of. His twin was a bit suspect though and she couldn't see being friends with him anytime soon.

An army of wild Heliopaths was no laughing matter.

"What year are you in, Fred?" she asked, completely ignoring George now.

"We're in our fourth year," he said.

Three year difference. That wasn't anything to get worked up about though. Since when did friendship have an age limit? Or did it? She honestly had no idea.

"Well this is your stop," Fred said as he abruptly stopped. "The hospital wing. Just go see Madam Pomfrey and I'm sure she'll fix you right up. See ya, Luna."

"Later," George said as he and his twin started to walk away.

"Bye!" Luna called after them feeling more excited than she had in a while.

Luna pushed open the doors of the hospital wing and looked around the bright, airy room. A woman was at the end of the wing changing sheets on a cot when she noticed Luna.

"Oh, what's wrong dear?" the woman asked as she walked quickly toward Luna.

"Nothing that terrible," Luna shrugged, sitting down on a cot. "I might have a bit of a burn."

This apparently was very terrible to Madam Pomfrey as she told Luna to discard her robe and pull down the black knee-high socks she was wearing. Nothing was there, the only thing that had caught fire was Luna's robe and Madam Pomfrey sighed in relief.

"I'll just fix your robe up and you can be on your way to class," she said, tapping Luna's robe with her wand.

Once Luna had a note from Madam Pomfrey to give to Professor Snape and with her robe repaired she was off back toward the dungeons. She just hoped more Heliopaths wouldn't attack her this time.


	3. Storm

_070. Storm_

She was insane.

Okay, he kind of already knew that, but Nargles and Wrackspurts was one thing and _this _was another thing entirely. A massive storm had taken place at Hogwarts and all students were prohibited from leaving the castle, but there Luna was, on top of the Astronomy Tower.

Fred squinted from the window of his dorm to try and make out exactly what she was doing. It was past hours and everyone else was asleep in his dorm, but out of paranoia Fred had stayed awake to make sure she was coming in soon. Glancing down at his watch he saw that it was a little after one o'clock in the morning and Fred was getting worried.

Him.

Fred.

Worried about a first year girl who was doing who knows what on top of the Astronomy Tower in the middle of a storm at one o'clock in the morning. He had only known her a month and she had already gotten under his skin. Cursing softly Fred got out of his bed, slipped his shoes on, and grabbed his wand. He was just about to leave his dorm when he moved to his dresser and grabbed a jacket. After all it _was_ storming outside.

Leaving Gryffindor Tower was easy enough since he had Filch's and Mrs. Norris's patrol schedule memorized. Fred made his way to the steps that led to the top of the Astronomy Tower and quickly made his way up. As he pushed open the heavy door that led outside Fred was automatically stumbling backwards due to the violent wind.

Standing behind the railing was Luna.

"Luna!" Fred shouted at her, but she made no sign that she had heard him. "Luna!"

Still no response. Drawing in as much air as he could Fred tried again.

"LUNA!" he roared at the top of his lungs.

Not so much as a glance over her shoulder. Walking across the circular platform to her was no easy feat because of the strong wind and slippery tiled floor, but he soon reached the railing. Placing his hand on it he looked at Luna who continued to stare straight ahead.

She was more pale than usual and her lips were blue. Placing his hand on top of her freezing one he felt her give a small jolt of surprise before turning to look up at him. Before she could speak (it's not like he would hear her anyway) Fred shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her before steering her toward the door.

Once inside the school with the door shut tightly Fred turned on his heel to face the shivering little girl.

"Are you insane?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

"N-No," Luna said, shaking her head and wrapping the jacket around her tighter.

Thinking it best to save the interrogation for a while, Fred sat down on the tile floor and motioned for her to do as well. He leaned against the wall and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, keeping her close to him.

She was like a little sister. The blonde, Ravenclaw sister he had never really wanted. Ginny was enough. Luna's shivers died down after a few minutes and when they did Fred started the interrogation again.

"So, Luna," he started.

"Yes, Fred?" she inquired, looking up at him with her big eyes.

"Care to tell me why you were on top of the Astronomy Tower at one o'clock in the morning in the middle of a hurricane?" he asked.

"My mum died two years ago today," Luna said softly. "That was her favorite place in all of Hogwarts and she said that she met my father there at two o'clock in the morning on this day."

He never would have even thought that her mother was dead. Feeling guilty for getting mad at her and getting increasingly uncomfortable, Fred glanced down at his watch. Five minutes till two o'clock.

"Let's go," he said, standing and taking her little hand in his.

"What?" she asked as he pulled her to her feet.

"It's almost two o'clock," Fred explained as he began to open the door to the tower.

It was still raining but the wind had died down considerably. The pair walked to the railing and leaned against it with the rain hitting the tops of their heads.

"3…2…1," Fred counted down as he looked at his watch and then back to Luna. "Your parents just met."

She was crying. He could understand why. Before he could offer any words of comfort she flung an arm around his middle and sobbed into his t-shirt.

To say that he was startled was an understatement as he awkwardly patted her head.

They stayed like that for a while until Fred realized that it was technically Monday now. Which meant early morning Quidditch practice which in turn meant that he would have to "get up" at six o'clock and be at the Quidditch pitch soon after that. He didn't even want to think about how mad Wood was going to get if he didn't arrive on time and well rested.

"Luna," he said.

She looked up at him and to his relief had stopped crying. "Yes?"

"We should head back," he suggested.

Nodding in agreement, Luna untangled herself from Fred and began to walk toward the exit of the tower. Fred was close behind but soon went ahead of Luna to check and see if the coast was clear. After confirming that it was Fred led Luna back to Ravenclaw Tower.

"Thank you," she said as she shrugged off his jacket and gave it back to him.

"What for?" he asked, taking the jacket from her.

"Staying with me until two," she said simply. "I'd been there since right after dinner."

"Didn't anyone notice that you were missing?" Fred asked.

"No," she shook her head and placed her hand on the eagle-shaped knocker. "I'll be seeing you?"

It sounded like a question, not a definite fact to him.

"Of course," he replied firmly.

He waited until she was safe inside her common room before turning around and heading back toward Gryffindor Tower to salvage as many hours of sleep as possible.


	4. Circle

_044. Circle_

Being friends with Luna was best approached from a very accepting and "no questions" attitude. This was because Fred just had to accept all of her ridiculous beliefs and not question anything she did unless it was particularly life threatening. That was why Fred was walking toward Luna without a single thought or care in the world as to why she was walking rather meticulously in a circle in the entrance hall.

Dinner had just ended and Fred had been walking back to the Gryffindor common room with George and Lee when he had spotted Luna. After George and Lee teased him about his "first year girlfriend" they went off to the common room and Fred had stayed behind until the crowd had cleared and it was just him and Luna.

"Hey," Fred greeted as he stepped in front of her.

She stopped suddenly before giving him a peeved expression as she walked around him and began again on her circle.

"So, trying to signal the all mighty Crumple-Horned Snorkack to Hogwarts?" Fred asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking next to her.

"That wasn't very funny," Luna said, sniffing slightly as she walked even faster as if to run away from him but only continued to follow her circle. "I'm just… pondering something."

"A Charms exam coming up?" Fred asked. "I've got some great excuses up my sleeve to get you out of it."

"No," Luna said, shaking her hair in front of her face and sniffing again.

Now standing in the middle of the circle and turning whenever Luna got out of his scope of vision, Fred finally noticed that something was wrong. Why wasn't she skipping in a circle? Why wasn't she talking about Nargles and Wrackspurts?

"Luna," Fred said testily, hoping she would stop walking. "What's wrong?"

His tone of voice was something he had never heard from himself before. It sounded caring and gentle, not smug or joking. Luna must have noticed this too as she finally stopped and peered through her blonde bangs to look at him questioningly.

"Nothing," she said slowly.

Sniff.

"It's just-."

Sniff, sniff.

"Well…"

Sniff.

"It's not that big of a deal, but…"

Hiccup.

"You really don't have to worry…"

Sniff and hiccup combination.

"_I'm _not worrying, so if I'm not you don't…"

Before another sniff or hiccup could come out of her Fred crouched down in front of her and pushed her hair out of her face. Crying. He figured.

"Something is wrong and now I'm really worried," he said, his tone surprising him once again.

"My things!" she managed to choke out. "Books, quills, scarves, even my shoes!"

Fred glanced at her sock clad feet and finally understood. Before he could offer any words to her she was walking in her circle path once again.

"Nargles!" she sighed exasperatedly. "They took almost everything! I've been down here since after classes trying to figure out how to capture them. Daddy always said that circles provoked ideas better than any other shape since Wrackspurts are afraid of them but-."

She couldn't even finish her sentence since Fred had taken her arm and was pulling her up the stairs. Fred expertly weaved through students and changing staircases with so much ease that Luna couldn't keep up to find out where they were going. That is until they reached a familiar flight of stairs and a bronze knocker.

Fred rapped the knocker against the door quickly and a singsong voice filled their ears.

"_If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around does it make a sound?_"

"What?" Fred asked. "That doesn't even make any sense. How would anyone know if it made a sound if no one was around? How am I-."

"_Not bad for a Gryffindor_," the voice replied as the door swung open smoothly.

"Um, Fred," Luna said meekly from behind him. "You really don't have to confront the Nargles, I'm sure my things will be returned to me eventually."

Fred ignored her as he strolled into the Ravenclaw common room. Not even bothering to notice the décor or the confused and startled Ravenclaw students, Fred's eyes rested on a group of four first year girls.

"Are those your dorm mates?" Fred asked Luna who gave a small nod.

"Fred, I don't think this is such a-."

"Don't worry," he said as he strolled toward the girls. "I just want to ask them about the Nargles. Hello ladies."

The four girls looked up at Fred with confused and pleasant expressions on their faces. It wasn't everyday a good looking fourth year boy (never mind that he was in Gryffindor and in their common room) came up to them. In fact it had never happened before so the girls were a little giddy.

"Yes?" a girl with perfectly straight blonde hair asked.

"Have you been taking my friend's things and hiding them?" he asked, stepping to the side to show Luna standing there horrorstruck.

"Fred, they would never take my things!" Luna protested. "They've all been so nice to me."

"Yeah," the blonde girl said, looking quickly from Fred to Luna. "We know her things have gone missing, but we would _never _dream of taking them."

"You're an awful liar," Fred said. "Where did you put her things?"

The four girls went from looking giddy to ashamed.

"They're under our beds," a girl with dark hair said and the blonde girl darted an annoyed look at her.

"Thanks," Fred said, walking away from the four girls. "Guys can't get into the girls' dormitories so go up there and get your things. I'll see you tomorrow, Luna."

Luna gave him a small nod as she walked toward the staircase that led to her dorm. Fred watched her walk up the stairs before walking out of the Ravenclaw common room.

Today he had learned two valuable lessons. First year girls were vicious and it was up to Fred to stand up for Luna since she didn't have the confidence to do it herself.


	5. Halloween

_093. Halloween _

Luna could easily admit that she had never seen so much food in her life. Plates were piled high with the usual feast food along with tons of sweets and desserts. It was impossible to determine where to start so she just decided on grabbing some pudding to eat while pondering her next move.

Her first year at Hogwarts had been going quite well and she wasn't even through one complete term yet. Despite her lack of friends Luna found herself not caring so much as she looked across the hall to the Gryffindor table to see Fred Weasley laughing with the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Smiling, Luna continued to eat her pudding.

Fred was the only person she could truly call a friend. His friendship had come as a complete surprise to her, but it was something she was definitely enjoying. He was like a big brother to her, a protector, and a friend all in one and for that she was very grateful. Her dorm mates never talked to her and neither did her classmates so other than teachers Fred was the only person who would even acknowledge her.

Well that wasn't entirely true. Fred's twin, George, and their friend Lee had acknowledged her but had never talked to her face-to-face before. She couldn't understand why they were always laughing at Fred while he was with her and honestly it made her a bit peeved. Daddy had told her about a creature that made people laugh spontaneously and it seemed that quite a few people were under its influence.

After the feast Luna was making her way back to the Ravenclaw common room with her fellow housemates when the crowd stopped behind a group of Gryffindors. Luna tried to look around the people surrounding her but found this difficult due to the fact that she was much shorter than everyone else. She didn't have to wonder long though as she saw Fred make his way through the throng of Ravenclaws and toward her.

"What's happened?" Luna asked when he reached her.

"Someone's petrified Filch's cat," he explained. "Just head back to your common room, I'll tell you what happened tomorrow."

Luna had different plans as she pushed past Fred and struggled through the crowd of students. She eventually made her way to the clearing everyone was surrounding with Fred close behind her to see Mrs. Norris being carried off by a few teachers and Mr. Filch following her looking devastated. This scene held her attention for a few seconds until Luna noticed a bloody message etched across the wall.

_THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.  
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE. _

"What does it mean?" Luna asked, turning to Fred.

"Dunno," Fred shrugged. "We'll find out soon enough though. C'mon, I'll walk you back to Ravenclaw Tower."

After pushing their way back through the gossiping students, Fred and Luna began to walk through the deserted corridors on their way to Ravenclaw Tower. Even though what Luna had just seen was clearly dramatic and maybe even a bit dangerous, her mind was elsewhere.

She knew for certain that she considered Fred a friend, but did he feel the same? All of her housemates and everyone else from different houses seemed to avoid her or be under the effects of the creature that caused spontaneous laughter whenever she was near them. Luna was used to it just being her and her father against the world, but at Hogwarts with only letters to go by Luna had never felt so alone.

Sometimes she wished she had been sorted into Gryffindor instead. She could see Fred more often and his sister Ginny was in her year and had always been kind to her in Herbology.

Continuing down the hallway Luna finally let the question she had been holding in for nearly two months burst.

"Fred," she said cautiously.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking down at her as they began to walk up a staircase.

"Are we friends?" she asked, surprised by the bluntness in her own voice.

He seemed honestly startled by the question before letting out a small laugh. "Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?"

A huge wave of relief began to wash over Luna and she smiled up at him.

"I've just… never really had a friend before," she said. "It's really nice though."

Fred opened his mouth to reply to this comment but apparently thought against it because he quickly closed his mouth again. They continued to walk in silence until Luna let out a tinkling giggle.

"I've just realized something," she laughed.

"What?" he asked with a small smile on his face.

"You've been walking me up to Ravenclaw Tower so much lately," she said. "It's like you're my bodyguard or something."

"I could be your bodyguard," he said, flexing his arm slightly.

Luna giggled again. "I've never realized how funny you are."

He was about to argue – probably about him _always _being funny – when she interrupted him.

"I know you and George are funny when you're together, but you're funny too, Fred," she said. "Just you."

Fred remained silent for a few moments as they began to ascend the steps to Ravenclaw Tower before turning to her. "I think that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Luna gave a nod as she placed her hand on the bronze knocker. She was just about to knock until she looked back at Fred with a worried look on her face.

"Do you think this Chamber of Secrets is serious?" she asked in a small voice. "Who are the enemies of the heir? What if I'm one of them? What if I get paralyzed like Mrs. Norris?"

"Don't worry," Fred assured, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm your bodyguard after all. Nothing dangerous is coming within a meter of you as long as I'm around."

For good measure he flexed his arm again, but Luna wasn't giggling this time.

"What if it's Heliopaths?" she asked, her already big blue eyes widening even more. "They've already targeted me before!"

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Luna," Fred said. "I'd better go find the rest of the Gryffindors. Ginny is probably about to have a fit. She loves cats."

"Oh, right," Luna said nodding. "See you."

"'Course," Fred grinned before descending the tower steps and going out of sight.

* * *

**On the original fanfic100 list 093 is Thanksgiving, but since that's an American holiday I switched it for Halloween.**


	6. Black

_018. Black_

"So someone bewitched the blooger?" Luna asked.

"_Bludger_," Fred corrected.

It was dinnertime but the pair had left early to go down to the Quidditch pitch to discuss that day's match. Someone had evidently cursed a bludger to follow around and attack Harry Potter. No one knew who did it, but they had been successful. Harry broke his arm, but then Professor Lockhart offered to heal it leading to… well Harry didn't exactly have any bones left in that arm.

"Yeah, someone did," Fred continued.

Fred was currently practicing hitting bludgers with his Beater's bat. Luna had to admit that she didn't pay a great deal of attention to the game that had taken place that morning, but she did enjoy watching Fred practice. There was something almost graceful as he swung his arm back in a perfect arc before bringing it forward again to hit an oncoming bludger with his bat.

"I wonder why," Luna pondered thoughtfully.

"No clue," Fred shrugged as he hit another bludger with his bat.

Luna was paying attention during the match when Harry Potter got hit by the black bludger. It looked painful but she was too concerned with a certain cloud in the sky. She was sure it had been a two-headed rabbit.

Despite Fred's easy approach to dealing with these bludgers Luna didn't like them. Not one bit. It had nothing to do with Harry Potter; it had to do with their color. Black. The color itself reminded her of the dark and something terrible coming her way. Or anyone's way for that matter. Today was proof itself. Harry Potter the boy with black hair got attacked by a black bludger.

Sitting on the green grass as she continued to watch Fred, Luna couldn't help but feel nervous whenever the bludger got into view. The bludger was black and she was wearing black robes. She could very easily be the next victim.

"I hate the color black," Luna said bluntly, wincing when she saw the bludger zooming toward them and sighing in relief when Fred hit it in the opposite direction.

"Yeah I'm not so fond of it either," Fred replied, readying his bat. "I like red."

"I like blue," Luna informed.

Fred gave out a loud laugh and looked back at Luna who was arching an eyebrow at him.

"We both like the colors of our houses," he shrugged. "Gryffindor is red, Ravenclaw is blue… Never mind, it wasn't that-."

Before Fred could finish Luna let out a laugh of her own. Instead of it being short-lived like Fred's had been she didn't seem to be able to stop. Soon she was short of breath and clutching her sides in pain with tears clinging to her eyes.

"That was… That was so _funny_!" she exclaimed, still trying to reclaim her breath.

"Er, not really," Fred replied awkwardly. "I was just pointing out the facts."

Luna paid no attention to this confession as she continued to giggle. Despite the strangeness of her sudden outburst Fred found himself grinning. At least she was in a good mood.

"How did your first flying lesson go?" he asked.

"Not very well," Luna hiccupped. "Your sister is a good flyer though."

"Really?" Fred asked, looking at her.

"Yeah," Luna said sounding impressed. "She outflew most of the boys. I could barely keep my broom steady one foot off of the ground."

Giving a nod of understanding Fred watched as the bludger came back toward him. Instead of hitting it with the bat he stood firmly on the ground and outstretched his hands. Before Luna could even ask what he was doing she watched as he caught the black bludger and got the wind knocked out of him. The ball struggled in his grasp before Fred roughly put it back into its case and strapped it in.

"Always the worst part," Fred panted as he slammed the case shut.

"Are you all right?" Luna asked as Fred stood.

"Fine," he shrugged. "I think it might have given me a bruise though."

Luna couldn't get a single syllable of sympathy out before Fred lifted his shirt up and examined his abdomen. Sure enough a small black bruise start to form, but Luna's eyes weren't exactly fixed on that. She was eleven years-old and the only time she had seen a man without his shirt (well technically Fred still had his shirt on) was on the vacation to the beach three years prior with her family.

"Nothing to worry about," Fred said, completely oblivious to Luna's inner turmoil. "No need to go to Madam Pomfrey for it so… What's wrong with your face, Luna?"

Pressing her hands against her face Luna felt that it was warmer than usual.

"I don't know," she said, moving her hands around her face. "It's so hot."

"Are you feeling all right?" Fred asked, looking concerned.

"Yes, it's just my cheeks that are hot," Luna replied.

She looked up at Fred who was standing in front of her with a smirk present on his freckled features.

"Was somebody embarrassed because I pulled my shirt up?" Fred asked, crouching in front of her.

"N- No!" Luna said, shaking her head furiously. "It must be Quiddles!"

"I beg your pardon?" Fred asked still smirking.

"Quiddles!" Luna said. "They're little creatures that live inside the pores of your face and control the temperature."

"And color too, you're bright red," Fred noted.

Luna gave an enthusiastic nod. The two sat there in silence while Fred peered at her face and Luna looked back at him as if challenging him to prove her wrong. Fred broke first as he shook his head and gave a small chuckle before offering her his hand. Luna took it and he helped her to her feet.

"I think I hate the colors black _and _red now," Luna said as they began to walk toward the castle.

It was getting dark outside and the sky was beginning to turn an inky black.

"Be sure to tell the Quiddles that next time they mess with your face," Fred suggested.


	7. Spade

_050. Spade_

Herbology. Definitely not one of Luna's better subjects. Digging the spade into the damp, fresh dirt of the pot she was tending to wasn't necessarily difficult or disgusting, it just went more along the lines of pointless. Pointless because in Herbology working in groups was always more fun and no one wanted to work with her.

Ginny Weasley, who had been rather nice to her a few times and offered her a place in her group on occasion, was working with three other Gryffindor girls leaving Luna alone to tend to her plant. The greenhouse was full of gossip on two main subjects: Colin Creevey getting paralyzed a few nights prior and the Chamber of Secrets.

Colin Creevey was a first year, like herself, and didn't have a boasting number of friends, like herself. No one informed her on the Chamber of Secrets bit, but Luna knew something or someone was attacking people. First Mrs. Norris and now Colin. An unsteady feeling came over Luna whenever she walked through the halls alone.

A certain gloom had taken to hanging over Luna recently, a gloom in the form of Fred Weasley not talking to her as much as he used to. Her only true friend was completely ignoring her now and she got the sinking feeling that she knew why.

Luna wasn't popular, pretty, smart, funny, charming, or his age. There was a three year gap between them and Luna couldn't say she was exactly surprised at this sudden drop in affection. At least she didn't have a secret crush on him or, even more frightening, have some kind of creature that lived in pipes sticking them together when he didn't want anything to do with her. A creature that could control minds and make him despise her; maybe even want to kill her.

As Luna's mind went into overdrive thinking of this new creature that would surely be the cause of her eventual downfall she failed to notice the shouts being directed toward her by Professor Sprout.

"Miss Lovegood!" Professor Sprout shouted, her face now a hue of pink. "Stop digging! There isn't any dirt left in your pot!"

Luna looked down to see dirt smeared on the front of her robes and piled all around her, but none in her pot. Putting down the spade in her hand, Luna looked back to Professor Sprout.

"Sorry, Professor, your greenhouse must be full of Wrackspurts," Luna apologized in her dreamy voice.

Before Professor Sprout could even ask what a Wrackspurt was the bell rang signaling the end of the lesson. Everyone started to pack up their belongings and file out of the greenhouse. The Gryffindors on their way to Potions and the Ravenclaws off to Charms.

Luna was the last to leave since she had spent some time trying to scrape caked dirt off of the front of her robes with her spade. This didn't go very well and only spread out the dirt even more. Sighing and giving up, Luna hoisted the strap of her bag on her shoulder as she left the greenhouse.

Leaning against the side of the greenhouse stood Fred Weasley who looked very nervous and as if he may start off at a sprint at any moment. Luna glided right past him, not even noticing his presence when his hand coiled around her wrist.

"Hey," he said. "Good lesson?"

"Yes," Luna said, slowly taking her wrist back from him. "Why haven't you been talking to me lately?"

Luna enjoyed the effect of her blunt question on his face. He looked like he had been thoroughly smacked.

"I've tried to," he explained. "You just look so scared these days and whenever I get a word in you always go walking off with this dazed expression."

"I don't recall any of this," Luna said. "Are you sure you didn't dream that you talked to me and took that as the real thing so in actuality you weren't talking to me because you thought you already had?"

"Yes- no, wait… What?" Fred stammered. "Luna, if I did something to upset you, just tell me. I'm really sorry about whatever it is I did."

"So you're sorry that you talked to me in your dreams, but not in real life?" Luna pondered as she began to walk toward the castle.

Fred followed after her still looking confused, but desperate now. "Luna, I consider you a really great friend. You've just been really out of it lately and I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with all of the attacks that have been happening lately."

"It… might," Luna admitted, finally seeming to catch on. She _had_ been imagining things far more often than usual lately. "I'm just scared something might jump out and…"

"Grab you?" Fred prompted.

"Rip me to little pieces, actually, but yes they would have to grab me first to do that, wouldn't they?" Luna said as they entered the castle.

"Well, I can walk you to your classes," Fred suggested. "If it'll make you feel safe."

Luna gave him a small smile. "Thank you. That does make me feel safe. I'm happy you're talking to the real me now instead of the dream one, Fred."

"Er, yeah, me too," Fred said, thinking it best not to argue. "So, are you going to keep carrying that spade around with you?"

Luna glanced at her hand only to see the spade she had been using in Herbology class still clamped tightly in it.

"Oh," she said simply. "I didn't know I was still carrying this."

"Well, if anyone grabs me first you can just throw that at them and run," Fred laughed. "It might buy you some time."

Luna laughed as well as they continued to walk down the halls gaining strange looks from passersby. Even though everyone knew Fred and Luna were friends people still thought it was one of the strangest things to happen social wise at Hogwarts.

"So, I'll see you around, Fred?" Luna asked as they reached the Charms classroom.

"Yeah, I'll make sure it's the real you," Fred said.

Luna gave a small laugh as she entered the classroom and Fred made his way done the hallway, threatening anyone who had given Luna a strange look for having dirt all down her front.


	8. And

_083. And_

Fred Weasley watched with an amused expression as Luna Lovegood balanced on top of her trunk to reach mistletoe that was hanging in the entrance hall of the school. The train to King's Cross was about to leave in ten minutes to bring the copious amounts of students back home for the holidays, but Luna was stalling.

And Fred knew why.

"Keep at it," Fred said, finally walking over to her and standing behind her. "I'll catch you if you fall."

Unlike most people who would be startled by someone sneaking up on them Luna seemed to be expecting it. She turned around rather gracefully on the unstable trunk and looked at him dreamily.

"Oh hello, Fred," Luna said, stowing her wand behind her ear and stepping off of her trunk. "I was wondering when you were going to wish me farewell."

"So, what were you doing to the mistletoe?" Fred asked.

"Exterminating the Nargles that reside in it," she said. "It would be most unfortunate if someone was to walk under it and get something stolen from them."

"Yeah, terrible," Fred said absentmindedly. "So, what are your plans for the holidays?"

Filch was started to rush people out of the door so Fred picked up Luna's trunk and started to walk toward the huge front doors. Luna followed behind him.

"Look for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack of course," she said breezily as they walked into the cold December weather.

Falling snow was sticking to their hair and clothes as the pair walked to the line of students being marked off the list to go home.

"Sounds fun," Fred said. "You've successfully made it through your first term of school. Feel any smarter?"

"Not really," Luna shrugged as they walked through the line. "And you? Do you feel any smarter?"

"Nope," he said shaking his head.

They continued to move through the line in comfortable silence at a steady pace. Luna, he noticed, was shivering slightly as she drew her light jacket around her. Fred shrugged off his own and wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked up at him and he smiled. It was really easy to think of her as a little girl who needed protecting from everything. Whether it be the cold or bullies.

"So this is the 'and', huh?" Luna asked thoughtfully.

"The 'and'?" Fred inquired.

"Well, the word 'and' usually comes between the middle of two other words, right?" she asked, looking up at him and waiting for his nod. "The winter break is the 'and' between the two school terms."

Fred laughed as they slowly approached Filch who was hastily looking through a Slytherin boy's trunk in search of Dungbombs.

"Makes sense," he said, wrapping a long arm around Luna's shoulders. "I'm going to miss you during these couple weeks."

"I'll miss you too," Luna said, looking at her hands.

Making a sideways glance at Luna, Fred wondered if her face was red from the cold or embarrassment. Soon it was Luna's turn to be checked off of Filch's list.

"Luna Lovegood," she said.

Filch checked his list, marked her name off, and then turned to Fred.

"There aren't any Weasleys on my list, boy," he said.

"I'm just here to say goodbye," Fred said.

Before Filch could protest Fred grabbed Luna's hand and the two began to march to a horseless drawn carriage. After securely placing Luna's trunk into the carriage and with her sitting snuggly in one of the seats did Fred hesitantly wrap his arms around her.

She seemed a little startled at first, but soon awkwardly returned the favor. He pulled back quickly and stepped off of the carriage.

"Have a good holiday, Luna," he said, shoving his hands back in his pockets.

"You too," she said, her face now a glowing red. "Watch out for Nargles."

"I'll steer clear of mistletoe for sure," he said grinning.

Three other first year girls were now putting their trunks in the carriage and taking seats as well. The three girls looked at Fred with wide eyes and then back to Luna as if wondering what they were doing talking to each other.

"Oh, Fred," Luna said. "Your jacket."

She began to take it off but stopped when he held up his hand.

"Give it back to me after the break," he said.

Before she could protest more students climbed into the carriage and it began to start moving. Fred stood watching the carriage until it was out of sight and he began to make his way back to the castle. Once inside he started toward the Gryffindor common room when two arms were lugged across his shoulders.

"Just got back from saying bye to the Missus?" Lee asked with a wide grin.

"Did you wish her our best?" George teased.

"Very funny, guys," Fred said, rolling his eyes as the trio walked through the halls.

"I just don't get it," Lee said. "What's so special about her?"

"Other than she's kind of… well, Loony?" George asked.

Fred was about to tell them off and tell them it was none of their business when he stopped and thought about it. Luna was unique and special in her own way. She didn't care what people thought of her. She believed in what she wanted to believe in. She was Luna and that was enough for him.

"She's just not like anyone else," Fred said with a shrug of his shoulders as he began to jog up the stairs ahead of them.

"How much do you want to bet they'll be dating by her fifth year?" Lee asked.

"One Galleon on her fourth year," George said.

"You don't think that's a little soon?" Lee asked as the pair began to catch up to Fred.

"No," George said shaking his head. "He'll start to like her in her third year, but won't do anything about it till her fourth."

Lee peered at him questioningly for a moment before laughing and shaking his head. "Your twin."


	9. Birthday

_091. Birthday_

Luna woke up on January 15th with no presents on the foot of her bed. There wasn't anything beside her bed either. She went to breakfast like always only to find that no owl had delivered her any presents or cards or letters. It seemed that her father, the one person she thought she could count on, had forgotten her birthday.

She was twelve years-old today and no one seemed to care. No one really cared on a daily basis anyway, but having no letter or present from her father was just hard to take.

Her classes went by slowly and she hadn't even seen any glimpse of Fred all day. He was the second person she would expect to remember but they hadn't even passed each other in the hallway. To say that she was getting a little depressed was a bit of an understatement.

After dinner Luna went straight to the Ravenclaw common room, but halfway there she was taken by the arm and pulled into an empty classroom. Stumbling into the dark room Luna looked around until her eyes focused on a large cupcake with a candle sticking in it and Fred grinning at her.

"Nicked it from the kitchens," he said with a shrug at her unasked question. "Happy birthday, Luna."

Usually this sweet gesture would have her smiling but not today. Frowning slightly Luna turned on her heel and began to walk out of the room. Before she could even reach the door Fred had placed a hand on her shoulder and was spinning her around.

"What did I do?" he asked wearily.

"Oh, nothing," she said airily.

Fred knew from experience (living with his mother and Ginny) that when a girl said that he did nothing meant that he did something. Something that wasn't that appreciated.

"Tell me what I did and I'll make it up to you," he promised.

The two stood in an unusually awkward silence until Luna gave a small sniffle and looked up at him with watery eyes.

"It's just that… No one's ever given me something for my birthday before other than my dad and he forgot and I didn't see you all day today and… and," Luna cried, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her robe. "I'm twelve years-old! I shouldn't be crying like a big baby!"

"I think I would be crying too if my dad forgot my birthday," Fred said, patting her shoulder. "And, well if I thought my best friend had forgot it too."

Luna gave another sniff before looking up at him, her eyes looking considerably larger than usual.

"Be-Best friend?" she asked. "We're best friends?"

"Yeah," Fred said. "I consider you one."

This new tidbit of information seemed to momentarily confuse Luna. Her face turned from absolute sadness to deep concentration in a matter of seconds.

"You can have more than one best friend?" she asked.

"Yeah," Fred repeated. "I've got you, George, and Lee. Listen, Luna, I've been really busy lately with Quidditch practice. Wood – oh, that's my captain – has been driving all of us insane with these practice schedules. It was damn near impossible to get time to see- What?"

Luna was now making the face equivalent to a mouse that had just seen a rather large cat.

"You just _cursed_!" Luna said looking shocked.

"I do that from time to time," Fred shrugged, now finding this all very comical.

"When you turn fourteen can you curse?" she asked.

Thinking it better not to tell Luna that at twelve years-old she was more than capable of cursing Fred just nodded his head looking very superior.

"As soon as you turn fourteen," he said, trying to hold back a snigger. "So, am I forgiven?"

"Well, I suppose," Luna said. "Can we get out of this room though? It's getting a little stuffy."

"Sure," Fred said.

The pair then walked out of the classroom and Fred looked down at his hand to see that he was still holding Luna's birthday cupcake.

"Here," he said handing it to her.

Luna smiled at him finally looking back to her usual self as she took the cupcake and started to lick off the icing.

"I feel like this birthday is considerably better this evening than it was the rest of the day," Luna said thoughtfully.

"Well, that's good," Fred said feeling relieved.

He still had yet to figure out why this little girl had him so obsessed… and crazy. She was definitely driving him insane since he was always trying his best to please her or apologize to her. Walking down the hallway in comfortable silence was soon broken by footsteps walking quickly behind them.

Fred turned around to see Angelina Johnson, a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and in the same year as him, walking toward them.

"Hey, Fred," she greeted as she held out a piece of parchment to him. "Wood's new practice schedule for this week. I swear he's trying to kill us."

"It sure seems that way," Fred agreed with a laugh as he took the schedule from her. "Thanks, Angelina."

"Sure," she said. "Oh, happy birthday Luna."

Luna, who was wrapping the candle that was in her cupcake in her cupcake wrapper, looked up with a surprised look on her face.

"Thank you person I don't know," Luna said bluntly.

Angelina gave a small laugh as she outstretched her hand to Luna. "I'm Angelina Johnson. Fred rarely shuts up about you. You're kind of a celebrity to the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

Taking Angelina's hand to shake it, Luna looked at Fred from the corner of her eye to see his ears turn a light shade of red.

"It's nice to meet you," Luna said.

Angelina nodded before waving goodbye to the two and heading back down the hallway.

"She seemed nice," Luna noted.

"Yeah, she's… nice," Fred said absentmindedly.

"And pretty," Luna added.

"Yeah, she's pretty… er, good at Quidditch," Fred said with a cough into his hand.

Luna gave a tinkling laugh as they continued to walk down the hallway.


	10. Outsides

_005. Outsides _

Dwarves dressed as cupids were currently wandering around the school and belting out long, poetic love confessions. It was slightly nauseating to listen to, not mentioning how bad it was to look at them.

Fred eventually found solace and peace outside of the castle. Snow was still on the ground and the lake was covered in a thin layer of ice, but anything was better than all of the hearts drifting around inside the castle. Trudging through the thick layers of snow Fred contemplated the best approach to asking Angelina out.

It was no surprise to anyone that Fred wanted to. He had liked her ever since first year when they sat in the same train compartment on the way to Hogwarts. Or when they both tried out for the Quidditch team. Being in all of the same classes. Being in the same house. He saw her so often it was no wonder why he had fallen for her.

They were both fourth years now and a Hogsmeade visit was bound to come up soon. He could ask her to go with him and if she said yes they could finally be together and spend every waking moment together.

There was just one little problem.

A problem that was currently trying to balance on top of the extremely thin layer of ice covering the lake.

Instinct took over immediately as he bounded toward the lake's edge. Standing right next to the ice he outstretched his hand toward Luna.

"Luna," he said in a warning voice. "Take my hand and get to solid land."

"Oh, hello Fred," she said dreamily, looking up at him with a smile. "Why are you outside in the cold?"

"Tell you what," Fred offered. "I'll tell you why I'm outside if you get off of the ice."

Apparently this wasn't a good enough deal for Luna. She shook her head and continued to peer through the ice and into the lake.

"I hear a giant squid lives in here," she said thoughtfully. "I wonder if it hibernates."

"Who knows," Fred said, getting more anxious by the second. "Luna, please take my hand."

After several long moments of Luna walking in a small circle on the ice (much to Fred's chagrin) she finally grasped his hand and walked over to him and on to solid land. As soon as her feet were on the snow covered ground the ice she had been standing on cracked and fell into the lake.

"Well that would have been unfortunate," Luna said with a shrug of her shoulders as she skipped easily through the snow and up to the castle.

Fred walked behind her at a much slower pace. One little problem indeed. If he started to date Angelina he would barely see Luna anymore. He had liked Angelina for practically four years now and known Luna for less than six months and yet he couldn't bear it to not spend time with her. He barely saw her enough as it was.

"It's Valentine's Day," Luna said as she stopped skipping to allow him to catch up.

"Yeah," Fred said. "Have you seen the dwarves?"

"Yes," she said. "They're not very romantic, are they?"

Fred gave a small chuckle. "No, not at all."

Once Fred had caught up to Luna the two continued to head toward the castle.

"Have you asked Angelina out yet?" Luna asked.

Fred stopped right in his tracks as he looked at Luna. Thinking quickly he tried to think of a reason why his face was so red, but Luna answered for him.

"It seems like Quiddles are messing with your face," she noted. "You do like Angelina, don't you? She's very nice."

"Well, yeah," he said awkwardly.

"Then you should ask her out," Luna said bluntly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"If we started going out then I wouldn't be able to spend as much time with you," Fred said.

The thought he had been thinking for so long was finally out and there he stood trying to look as nonchalant as possible. Trying and failing most likely.

"Do I matter more than Angelina?" Luna asked, seemingly unaware of his discomfort. "I know you like me, but I thought you _liked _her."

"I do _like _her," Fred admitted.

"Then why should I matter in all of this?" Luna asked.

"Because you just do, Luna," Fred said. "You're a great friend and I enjoy spending time with you. I see Angelina all the time. I don't- I don't need to ask her out. I'll do it some other time. Maybe next year… or the year after that."

Luna stared at him for what seemed to be hours until she gave a light shrug of her shoulders and began to skip toward the school again. Fred followed her in silence and soon they were inside the castle again.

"Do you like her outsides?" Luna asked randomly as she stamped snow off of her boots in the entrance hall.

"Her what?" Fred asked with a grin plastered on his face.

"Her outsides," Luna repeated without further explanation.

"As in how she looks?" Fred asked for confirmation.

Luna nodded and Fred pretended to think about it. Of course he liked how Angelina looked, she was gorgeous, but blurting out the answer so quickly probably wouldn't be the best of ideas.

"Yeah, I do," he said after some time had passed.

"Do you like my outsides?" Luna mumbled into her scarf.

Fred had to do a double take to make sure he had heard her correctly. He assumed he had since her face was now a light shade of pink. Giving a small smile, Fred clamped a hand on her shoulder.

"Very likable," he said, feeling surprised that it didn't sound like a lie.

Luna was cute for a twelve year-old and there was no doubt in his mind that she would grow up to be absolutely beautiful. The thought gave him the same uneasy feeling he got when he imagined Ginny all grown up.

Just another little girl he would have to someday protect from all of the boys in this school.


	11. How?

_081. How?_

"Someone broke into the Gryffindor dormitories last night," Fred said as a greeting as he sat down across from Luna at the Ravenclaw table.

Technically Fred wasn't supposed to be sitting at the Ravenclaw table since he was in fact a Gryffindor, but it didn't seem like anyone minded. The school was in a complete uproar. It seemed that students were getting petrified all the time now (not to mention Sir Nearly-Headless Nick) and now a dorm had been broken into.

"People are saying Hogwarts isn't safe anymore," he said, taking a piece of bacon from one of the platters in the middle of the table.

"How did they get in the dormitory?" Luna asked.

"Whoever it was must have been a Gryffindor," Fred said. "No one else knows the password except for teachers and I can't see one of them breaking into a second year boys' dorm."

"Second year?" Luna thought out loud. "Isn't that the year your brother is in?"

Fred nodded his head. "Nothing was stolen according to them."

"Well that's good," Luna said, finishing off her breakfast and getting up from the table.

"Where are you going?" Fred asked.

"I thought I would take a walk to the Quidditch pitch," she said airily.

Luna began to walk toward the doors of the Great Hall without another word to Fred but soon saw him from the corner of her eye walking along the opposite end of the table. No one cared that Fred and Luna had become such close friends. Rightfully so too, the school year would be over in a couple of months anyway.

The topic of the petrification attacks around school was much more exciting to talk about apparently. Harry Potter was the prime suspect behind it because he could talk to snakes. Luna had never even talked to Harry Potter before so she wasn't exactly one to judge.

"How do you think they're doing it?" Luna asked Fred as they made their way outside into the chilly air. "Going around the school and attacking people, but then disappearing at the drop of a Gulping Plimpie?"

Not even bothering to ask what a Gulping Plimpie was, Fred shrugged. "Fast runner? Good hider? Maybe they have an Invisibility Cloak."

"No, you can see Wrackspurts under Invisibility Cloaks," Luna said with a shake of her head. "Maybe the attacker isn't human…"

"Maybe you're thinking too much," Fred said with a laugh. "Don't worry, Luna. As long as Dumbledore's here the culprit will be caught. Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey are working on the antidote for the petrified people too. It's all fine."

Despite Fred's attempt at sounding carefree it was easy to see that he wasn't. Ginny had been acting weird lately. She seemed paranoid and he had a feeling that she was becoming terrified like everyone else was. Except for Luna that is.

No matter the circumstance Luna seemed to not care at all. It could be going against a three-headed dragon and she would take it with ease and an impassive attitude. She truly didn't mind anything. He could tell that she was scared about the attacks, but her curiosity kind of ruled it out.

"How do you do it?" he asked.

"Do what?" she asked in return.

"Block everything out," he explained.

"I don't block you out," she said simply as they arrived at the Quidditch pitch. "I just… don't care that much about some things. The attacks around school are scary, but I'm more fascinated by how they're done."

His suspicions were right on the Galleons.

"So, how is your team going to win against Hufflepuff tomorrow in the big game?" Luna asked.

"I thought you didn't like Quidditch," Fred said with a small grin.

"Oh, I don't," she said with a shake of her head. "Just tell me so I know what will happen."

Fred gave a laugh before briefing her on a few of Wood's strategies for the following day. Luna nodded at appropriate times, but Fred knew she wasn't really paying attention. Her mind was in some other place and he always wished he knew how to get there.

"Have you asked Angelina out yet?" Luna asked abruptly as she interrupted his monologue about flying tactics.

His face began to heat up as he shook his head.

"Why not?" she asked with her head tilted to the side.

"It's just not really the right time," Fred explained, trying to make it sound like no big deal.

"As in a year or two from now?" Luna inquired with a perked eyebrow.

"Changing the subject," Fred said. "How are your classes coming along?"

Luna stifled a giggle in the back of her hand. It was sweet how much he liked Angelina but was so adamant about admitting it. She filled him in on some minor details about her school work but could tell he wasn't paying attention.

She liked Angelina. Granted she had only talked to her that one time, but if Fred liked her than she couldn't be that bad. There was only one problem as far as Luna could tell that dealt with Fred and Angelina getting together.

Seeing Fred would go from being a part of her schedule to an absolute luxury. With different classes, his Quidditch practices, and tightened security around school they only saw each at meal times and on the weekends. If he started to date Angelina, Luna would definitely be happy for him, but also sad that she wouldn't be able to spend more time with him. She honestly didn't know how she would even begin to handle that.

"Let's head back inside," Fred suggested, noticing the distraught look on her face.

Luna gave a small nod as she followed him.

"Hey, Fred," she said suddenly as they walked past the lake.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"You're still my bodyguard, right?" she asked.

Fred gave her a smile and a nod of his head and she found that to be all that she needed at the moment.


	12. Sound

_037. Sound_

The Quidditch pitch was alive with deafening roars as everyone got excited for that day's match. It didn't take long for everyone to realize something was wrong when Professor McGonagall took the microphone away from Lee Jordan to announce that the match had been canceled and for everyone to return to their common rooms immediately.

Students filed off of the Quidditch field and back into the castle. Everyone was whispering amongst themselves and Luna had a good idea what it was all about. Another attack. What other reason could there be for canceling Quidditch?

Following the other Ravenclaws toward Ravenclaw Tower, Luna saw a flash of red hair and stood on the tips of her toes to catch a glimpse of Fred Weasley making his way through the Ravenclaws. When he reached her he pulled her aside so that people wouldn't have to fight to get around them.

"There's been another attack," he said, answering her unasked question. "Two people. I'm not sure who though."

"Well, that was clever," Luna commented. "Attacking when everyone was down at the pitch."

"Luna, I don't think you understand," Fred said. "Hogwarts isn't safe anymore. You should leave school. Go back home to your dad. I don't want you to be-."

Luna scoffed.

"Don't make that sound," Fred said, sounding oddly agitated.

"What sound?" Luna challenged with her hands on her hips.

This entire scene seemed too familiar to her. She could imagine her parents arguing in the kitchen. Dad warning mum about not doing that experiment, that it was too dangerous. Mum had just rolled her eyes and scoffed with her hands on her hips.

"I'll be fine," Luna said, finding the words her mother used to tell her father tumbling from her lips. "All of the people who had been attacked were Muggle-borns, weren't they? I'm a pure-blood."

"But what if there's a Muggle-born close to you and they get attacked?" Fred prompted. "Go home, Luna. It's safe there-."

"Are you going home?" Luna asked. "Are you going to run away too?"

"Well, no," he said slowly.

"They why should I?" she asked defiantly.

The hallway was thinning out and it came to be that Fred and Luna were the only two left in the deserted corridor. They were standing there all alone glaring at each other like an old married couple.

"I'm going to escort you to every single one of your classes," he said. "The only time you will be alone is in the girl's bathroom since I highly doubt anyone would attack you in there. Those are my conditions."

To Fred this probably sounded like a very bad deal. No time to be left alone and no freedom to roam around, but to Luna it sounded perfect. She got to see him even more than before with these new rules!

"Fine," Luna said stiffly, trying to make it sound like she didn't like the terms. "If you must."

"Great," Fred said, nodding his head. "So, I'll escort you to Ravenclaw Tower, since no one seems to be around."

Luna nodded and the two started to travel through the hallway that had been occupied with Ravenclaws just moments before. They walked in silence. Fred probably assumed that she was angry with him. He wasn't exactly wrong. She enjoyed spending time with Fred above all else, but being ordered to instead of it being something by choice got her a bit peeved.

Continuing to walk down the hallway, Luna noticed how eerily quiet it was. It was the middle of the day on a Saturday yet there was no sign of anything living in the castle except for her and Fred. Almost as if they were the only two that existed at that moment.

That was until Luna heard something. Almost like something _sliding _within the walls. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked, looking down at her worriedly.

"That sound…" Luna trailed off, not bothering to finish her sentence.

Cautiously Luna moved toward the wall and put her ear against it. The sound came again. It was as if something huge was being heaved through the walls. The sound was faint, but in the quiet of the halls she could _just _make it out…

"So, what's going on?" Fred asked as he too pressed his ear against the wall. "A Blibbering Humdinger?"

With Fred talking there was no way she could make out the sound again and when he stopped talking the sound was already gone.

"Blibbering Humdingers fly through the air, Fred," Luna said with a shake of her head. "It sounded like something was moving in the walls."

Most people would think that Luna was even crazier for "hearing" this, but Fred just shrugged.

"Don't obsess over it too much," he said, lugging an arm across Luna's shoulders and steering her back through the halls. "It's probably nothing to worry about."

They continued to walk until another sound interrupted them. This one was more pronounced and Luna knew that Fred heard it too as they both turned around at the same time. Professor McGonagall approached them quickly with a mixture of relief and anger etched across her face.

"What are you two doing?" she cried when she reached them. "Professor Flitwick and I have been looking everywhere for you two. Do you know how _dangerous_-."

"Professor, I was just walking Luna back to her common room," Fred explained.

"Well, that's very chivalrous of you, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said with a small huff of breath. "But who would escort you back?"

"I don't need an escort," Fred complained.

A glare from McGonagall was all it took to get Fred to shut his mouth for good.

"We will walk Miss Lovegood back to Ravenclaw Tower together if that makes you happy," McGonagall suggested. "Then I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower. No complaints!"

"Yes, Professor," Fred said grumpily as the three made their way to the common room.

"Nice day," Luna said dreamily.

Fred gave out a laugh that was soon quieted as McGonagall hurried them along.


	13. Light

_073. Light_

Apparently it wasn't necessary for Fred to escort Luna to all of her classes. The professors had taken it as their responsibilities to do that instead. Each class was escorted to their next by a professor, leaving no room to talk in the hallways which meant not even seeing Fred. At all.

Students weren't allowed to converse with students of other houses during mealtimes and had to wait until their head of house was ready to lead them back to the common rooms. It seemed that everyone was still managing to have a social life though since they had friends within their own houses. Everyone except Luna that was.

Whenever Luna was lucky enough to catch a small glimpse of Fred in the hallway he seemed fine. He was always talking to George or Lee or Angelina. Luna knew that she should be happy that Fred could talk so easily with the girl that he liked, but she had to admit she was a bit jealous. That could have been _her _he was talking to in the hallway, not Angelina.

It was a murky afternoon when Luna along with several other first years made their way from the greenhouses and into the castle to head off to Charms. Luna was trailing along at the back of the line and had just entered the castle when she heard someone whisper her name.

Turning to her left, Luna spotted Fred crouching by the entrance of the castle and trying (and failing) to look discreet. He waved frantically at her and Luna broke away from her fellow first years to join him.

"I haven't talked to you in weeks!" Fred said in a loud whisper. "How have you been?"

"I'm fine," Luna said, looking at the line of first years she was supposed to be a part of. "Fred, I really ought to-."

"Look at me, Luna," Fred said in a strangely steady voice.

Luna turned her head and looked at him. _Really _looked at him. It was like a light had been flipped on in her head. A light that had wanted to come on for a while. Her heart was skipping beats, her face seemed to warm, and she felt the sudden urge to smile like an idiot.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice sounding tiny.

"I've missed seeing you," he said grinning. "I'm just happy to see that you're doing fine. Um, well I have to head off to Transfiguration, but hopefully this will all be over soon and we can hang out again."

"Of course," Luna said, nodding as the two started to walk down the hallway. "Bye, Fred."

"See ya, Luna," Fred said in response as he gave a small wave and hurried in the opposite direction.

He had seemed disappointed. It was as if she hadn't told him what he wanted to hear…

Suddenly she remembered what he had probably been so anxious to hear from her. Another light switched on in her head and she sucked in all of the air into her lungs she could muster as she called out after him.

"Happy 15th birthday, Fred Weasley!" she shouted.

Fred had been ready to turn a corner until he stopped and looked back at her. Her face was flushed and her fists were clenched at her sides as she had called out to him. His face broke out into a broad grin as he gave a more energetic wave this time.

"Thank you, Luna Lovegood!" he shouted back before heading down the hallway.

It didn't seem so murky anymore as Luna quickly walked down the hallway to Charms class. The castle seemed brighter, happier even. Not being able to see Fred all of those weeks had really put a damper on her mood, but that short minute had cheered her up exponentially.

Professor Flitwick was probably worried sick about her or didn't notice her absence at all. Either way arriving at Charms class wouldn't be a very pleasant experience so Luna took a detour to the second floor bathroom. Once there she heard the unmistakable sound of crying.

Poking her head into a stall, Luna saw a red-headed girl sitting on the floor in front of a toilet and sobbing.

"Are you all right?" Luna asked.

The girl looked up at her and Luna instantly recognized her as Ginny Weasley. She was Fred's younger sister and Luna could remember occasions when she had been nice to her.

"I can't remember things!" Ginny sobbed. "I don't know what's wrong with me!"

This sounded like a serious case of Wrackspurts to Luna.

"We can go to the Hospital Wing…" Luna started to suggest but soon stopped as Ginny frantically shook her head.

"I'm so scared," she cried. "I'm the one who's doing all of this! I wrote the message on the wall and- and broke into the second year boy's dormitory and… and-."

Everything that she was saying after that was completely incoherent. Luna didn't know what to do. Should she turn Ginny in? From the sound of it it didn't seem like Ginny had done those things knowingly.

"I sometimes sleepwalk," Luna said. "Maybe you did those things in your sleep. It's not like you're the one attacking everyone… are you?"

"I don't _know_!" Ginny cried before taking a sharp intake of breath.

Ginny looked at Luna with a look of absolute terror before pushing past her.

"Please, don't tell anyone!" Ginny pleaded. "I know you're friends with Fred. Don't tell him. Please, Luna."

It was hard for Luna to say no to someone who used her real name. Even harder to say no to someone who had the exact same shade of brown eyes as Fred had.

"I swear on the horns of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack that I won't tell a soul," Luna promised.

Ginny managed a weak smile and Luna could notice a soft light from the stall behind her. Before Luna could investigate a ghost with glasses dived into the toilet with a cackle of laughter. Ginny turned around quickly before facing Luna.

"You don't think Moaning Myrtle heard any of that, do you?" Ginny asked meekly.

"I don't honestly know," Luna confessed.

Luna wasn't very concerned about what Moaning Myrtle had or hadn't heard though. She was thoroughly confident that she had just made a new friend.


	14. Family

_024. Family_

Luna was just exiting her Transfiguration lesson when she heard a group of upperclassmen talking in hushed voices.

"Did you hear about that Weasley girl?"

"I know, it's awful."

"That message on the wall was so horrifying, even worse than the last."

"I can't imagine what her family is going through."

"I heard that school is closing tomorrow."

"What? No way!"

That was all Luna heard of the conversation as she was whisked away with her fellow first years to head back to the common room. The entire castle was in a state of panic and fear. Ginny Weasley had been taken to the Chamber of Secrets and school was being closed tomorrow. The thought of Hogwarts not being safe anymore had been present all year, but it had just now sunk in.

After making friends with Ginny so soon too and she was dying or already dead somewhere all by herself. Cold and alone. Luna shivered at the thought and continued to walk with the Ravenclaws. All of the Weasley siblings had been whisked away to the Headmaster's office to wait in worry. The only thing it looked like they could do was mourn.

Luna yearned to see Fred. She knew that he treasured his family above all else and for his only sister to be as good as dead and for him to not have the ability to do anything about it was probably tearing him up inside. Professor Lockhart was rumored to go down to the Chamber and to rescue her, but everyone was a bit skeptical.

Despite Lockhart's good looks and dazzling personality (and teeth) his teaching and dueling abilities left much to be desired. With Gilderoy Lockhart as her only hope the odds certainly weren't in Ginny's favor.

Later on that night with Luna in her dorm she could hear her roommates discussing another rumor. Apparently Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were seen walking through the castle with Lockhart. Ginny's life was now in the hands of two second years and a dim-witted teacher. This left an even worse uneasy feeling with Luna.

With her pillows feeling significantly uncomfortable, Luna woke up at roughly one o'clock feeling wide awake. Turning on her side to look out of the window, Luna saw a lone figure standing on top of the Astronomy Tower. Squinting, Luna could just make out red hair. Her chest gave a tight squeeze and with much gusto she was never aware she possessed, Luna slipped out of bed and put on her shoes.

Since the entire school was on lockdown security was tight within the hallways but by some miracle Luna was able to sneak to the entrance of the Astronomy Tower. Climbing the stairs with only one goal in mind Luna finally made it to the top. Opening the door, Luna walked out into the peaceful night and joined Fred to lean against the railing.

"First Ginny, now Ron," he said. "I'm the big brother and all I can do is wait."

He wasn't crying. She had never really expected him to.

"If you went too George would go with you," Luna said softly. "Then your parents would be even more worried."

"Why my family?" he asked.

"I don't know," Luna said with a shrug of her shoulders.

They stood in silence with Fred gripping the railing and looking out at the grounds of Hogwarts. Luna was staring at his hands that were holding the railing so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Before another breath could be taken Fred released his hands from the railing and wrapped his arms around Luna.

Only slightly startled Luna returned the hug and tried to comfort him as best as she could. She had never spoken to Ron, but she knew Ginny. Their friendship had been short-lived, but it was something that Luna had enjoyed nonetheless.

"They'll be all right," Luna said, the words sounding utterly false on her lips. "It's all going to be all right."

"I know," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I know."

Luna pulled back to look up at him, but tears still refused to fall. They were pooling in his eyes, sure enough, but they refused to fall.

A second later the doors to the tower burst open and there stood a windswept looking Professor McGonagall.

"You two," she said, pointing a finger and bounding toward them.

"Listen Professor, I'm really not in any mood for-," Fred started.

"They're _safe_," Professor McGonagall sighed, clamping a hand on Fred's shoulder. "Your sister is in the Hospital Wing and your brother is speaking to the Headmaster. They are all safe."

It was silent for a few moments as they let this information sink in. Luna looked up at Fred and smiled when a huge grin of relief broke across his face. He enveloped Luna in a tight hug with joy this time.

"I'll let this slide considering the circumstances," McGonagall said, shaking a finger at them rather half-heartedly. "Mr. Weasley please escort Miss Lovegood back to Ravenclaw Tower and then we can get your other siblings to visit the Hospital Wing."

McGonagall then left the two of them alone on top of the tower. Without another word to each other Fred took Luna's hand in his as they walked down the stairs of the Astronomy Tower and through the corridors to Ravenclaw Tower.

"This is good news!" Luna said happily as she tugged on the sleeve of his shirt. "Do you want to skip the rest of the way?"

Fred laughed and shook his head. "You can if you want."

Luna pretended to think about this but then squeezed his hand as they continued to walk. "I'm fine like this."

"Before you came to the Astronomy Tower I was thinking of something," Fred shared. "I was thinking that I still had you. If Ron and Ginny had died then I could still fulfill my duty as a big brother for you."

"Like a second chance?" Luna prompted.

"Exactly," Fred said, looking down at her with a small smile. "A second chance."


	15. Months

_009. Months _

Exams had been canceled and the last weeks of school were slowly unraveling in front of everyone. Summer was almost there and classes seemed boring and unneeded in the stuffy classrooms. The past months of being at Hogwarts had been anything but easy for Luna.

Friends weren't exactly plentiful for her and she wasn't always treated the best, but there was always a silver lining. After Ginny Weasley was let out of the Hospital Wing she became a social pariah just like Luna herself. The two girls bonded over the weeks and Luna considered her a very close friend.

Not her closest friend though.

Sprawled out on her back lying in the green grass with Fred lying next to her, Luna pointed at the sky.

"A hare," she said at a particularly fluffy white cloud.

"Yeah, I can see it," Fred said, tilting his head to the side. "That one looks like a dragon."

"More like a Wickle-Himper," Luna corrected.

"If you say so," Fred said with a breezy quality in his voice.

The friendship Luna had established with Ginny truly paled in comparison to what she had with Fred. She loved him in the purest way possible. He wasn't like an older brother, but a protector. Her protector alone. He truly was the only person who understood her, more than her father even. The months having spent with him truly made her so happy.

She could only remember being this happy when her mother was still alive. Her mother making chocolate birthday cakes and crushing Luna with hugs whenever she felt it necessary.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked, his tone concerned now.

Tears were running freely down her face as Luna propped herself up on her elbows. Fred did the same and brushed a piece of blonde hair from her face.

"I was thinking of my mum," Luna explained. "Then I thought about how you make me feel safe like she did and how I don't want to be apart from you for too long and how- how I just want it to be September first so we can start a new school year and have even more months of-."

"Luna," Fred said, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "Just because summer is almost here doesn't mean we won't see each other. Maybe not every day, but we will see each other. Don't worry."

Giving a half-hearted nod Luna collapsed back on to the soft grass. He was right, she was worrying over nothing. But what if he wanted to spend his summer with George and Lee and Angelina instead? Especially Angelina. Luna liked her and everything, but she found her a lot more likeable when she wasn't close to Fred.

"Well, I promised George and Lee I would eat lunch with them today," Fred said, standing up. "Want to walk to the Great Hall together?"

Even though she wanted to say yes Luna spotted a red-haired girl walking toward them and gave a small shake of her head.

"No, I'll see you later," Luna said nonchalantly as she sat up and crossed her legs.

"All right then," Fred said, looking at her worryingly before giving a wave and walking toward the castle doors.

He hadn't walked half of the distance to the school entrance when Ginny plopped down next to her on the grass.

"You like my brother, don't you?" Ginny asked while nudging Luna in the side playfully.

"You like Harry Potter, don't you?" Luna said in her usual dreamy voice.

Ginny's face turned a vivid scarlet that clashed horribly with her hair.

"Yes," Ginny said. "But you like Fred, Luna. It's obvious."

"How?" Luna asked.

"Well, for one thing you start to cry at the thought of leaving him," she said smugly.

Luna perked an eyebrow at her before looking out toward the lake. "Whatever you say."

Ginny laughed and shook her head. The two girls sat in comfortable silence. They really were complete opposites. Ginny was shy in the sense that she got tongue-tied, Luna came off as shy because she simply didn't talk to people. Ginny grew up in a crowded household, Luna just had her dad. Ginny was obvious in her affections toward Harry Potter while Luna barely showed a romantic interest in Fred.

Actually there was no romantic interest. She was twelve, he was fifteen. He was desperately pining over Angelina Johnson and Luna didn't like anyone like that. The idea of liking Fred in that way was a bit off-putting. He was _Fred_. Months of spending time with him were more than enough to feel that she couldn't look at him like that.

He was her protector and she couldn't see him in any other way. Nor did she want to.

"We should get together this summer," Ginny suggested.

"That sounds nice," Luna commented. "You can come over one day and I can show you our Dirigible Plums!"

"Sounds good," Ginny said. "I'm getting hungry. Let's head inside for lunch."

Luna nodded in agreement and the two girls made their way across the lawn to the castle entrance.

"We're going to be second years next year," Ginny said with a state of excitement in her voice.

"Yes, but we'll still be younger than most of the school," Luna noted.

"True," Ginny shrugged. "What do you see in Fred anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"What do you see in him that you don't see in George?" Ginny asked. "To be honest I've always seen them as the same person. Like a matched set."

Luna stopped walking. She had never even thought for a second why she would even think of being friends with George. To be honest she always saw George and Lee as a matched set since she spent so much time with Fred. The more she thought about it though, the more the answer seemed so obvious.

"It's because in all of these months at this school he was the one who talked to me," Luna said simply as she began to walk again toward the castle.


	16. Summer

_063. Summer_

The time had come that every student had been waiting for. Summer. It was finally here and after a filling lunch everyone was ready to ride the carriages back to Hogsmeade to go home for the holidays.

Secured safely in a carriage by herself, Luna plucked the latest copy of _The Quibbler _from her bag and opened to a random page. It all seemed like one big waiting game to her. Would he choose to sit with her or his other friends on the train? The carriages were being divided by year so they didn't have the option to sit with each other in this case, but on the train anyone could sit with anyone.

Her empty carriage was soon joined by four first year Hufflepuffs and last, but not least, Ginny. Ginny sat in the seat next to Luna and flashed an excited smile.

"Summer!" Ginny exclaimed with a giggle. "Then we'll be second years!"

"I feel like we've had this conversation before," Luna commented, idly flipping a page in her _Quibbler _to an article on moon frogs.

"But still," Ginny pressed. "Isn't it exciting? Just a couple of months and we'll be back here again for an entirely new year."

"Thrilling," Luna said with a small nod.

Taking the hint that Luna wasn't in the mood for conversation, Ginny started talking to one of the Hufflepuff girls. The carriage started moving and they were on their way to the Hogsmeade station. All of the first years were first to reach the station so it was easy for Ginny and Luna to find a compartment to themselves.

The pair was soon joined by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and one of Ginny's older brothers, Ron. Luna's heart started to drop. Their compartment was getting crowded; Fred probably wouldn't fit in it. But much to her pleasant surprise Fred and George were able to cram into the compartment allowing everyone a nice amount of leg and arm space.

"The compartment must be fitted magically or something," Ron said.

"Well, if you had ever bothered to open your copy of _Hogwarts, A History _you would have known that," Hermione Granger said hotly.

Luna spent most of the train ride to King's Cross with her face buried in _The Quibbler_ while everyone else played Exploding Snap. She had come accustomed to having only two friends throughout the school year and now she was crammed in this compartment with people she had never spoken two words to before.

They had arrived at the station peacefully and Luna overheard Ginny telling everyone that one of the other Weasley brothers had a girlfriend much to Fred and George's surprise and amusement. The group broke up though when they entered the Muggle world. Luna brought herself to her full height but still couldn't make out her father in the chaos. About to give up and just wait for the crowd to thin out a freckled hand clamped down on her shoulder and she looked up to see Fred.

"Need help finding your dad?" he asked.

"Yes, please," she said with a nod.

Fred grabbed Luna's luggage cart from her and the two began to push past Muggles and wizards on a search for her father.

"I'll miss you," Luna said.

"I'll miss you too," Fred said absentmindedly.

He then stopped pushing the cart and bent down to Luna's level.

"We'll see each other this summer, don't worry," he promised.

"Oh, I know," Luna said with a shrug. "I've just been so used to seeing you every day."

"Understandably so," he nodded before brushing a piece of blonde hair from her face.

They stood there in the throng of people for quite some time and Luna half expected him to grab her arm and march her back to Ravenclaw Tower. It was in that moment that a light switched on in her head again and her heart fluttered. His eyes were brown, had she noticed that before? He didn't have as many freckles as his other siblings, but his skin was still littered with them.

She really liked him. She liked him like Ginny liked Harry.

And that scared her.

Before she could even move a muscle or finish processing this new information a voice broke through the crowd.

"Luna!" her father called.

Luna whipped her head in the direction of the voice and spotted her father marching through a confused group of Muggles. Even wizards and witches were giving him weird glances.

"Dad," Luna said, smiling warmly and looking up at Fred expectantly.

Fred looked slightly dumbfounded but covered it quickly as he stuck his hand out to introduce himself to Xenophilius Lovegood.

"I'm Fred Weasley, sir," Fred said as Xenophilius warily took his hand. "I'm a friend of Luna's."

"Yes, nice to meet you too," Xenophilius said, giving Fred's hand a little shake before turning to Luna with a wide smile. "Good year I hope. I hear some terrible things happened, but no one was killed!"

This seemed like a very optimistic way of putting things but Luna beamed back at him just the same.

"Well, Luna we need to be off," Xenophilius said as he continued to eye Fred suspiciously. "The Crumple-Horned Snorkack waits for no one."

This was the signal they had been waiting for and Fred and Luna turned to each other instantly. Both opened and closed their mouths several times before Fred stuck out his hand to her. Luna gave it a shake, but when she tried to recoil her hand she felt his grip firm as he continued to move his arm up and down.

"I'll see you soon," Fred said with a grin. "Summer doesn't last too long. Trust me."

Luna nodded and allowed herself to be pulled into a one-armed hug. Fred gave his final goodbyes to Luna and her father before joining his own family.

"Well, he seemed… pleasant," Xenophilius noted with his head tilted oddly to the side.

"He's very nice," Luna assured as they made their way to the exit of the station. "He's my best friend after all."


	17. Brown

_017. Brown_

The first thought that occurred to Luna as Fred took her heavy trunk from her grasp and put it in the luggage area was that his hair had grown a little more. He looked a little taller too and maybe his shoulders had gotten even broader. Other than these minor differences he still looked like the same Fred. With the same freckles and red hair. With the same brown eyes.

"Have a good summer?" he asked, clamping a hand on her shoulder as they boarded the Hogwarts Express.

"Oh yes, it was very nice," Luna confirmed. "Daddy and I went searching for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack in some kind of tropical region. It was very exciting, but we weren't able to find the Snorkack."

"That's too bad," Fred said nonchalantly as he waved to someone in the narrow corridor. "Maybe next time."

Luna gave a small nod as she hoped that he wouldn't be sitting with his other friends instead of her. To her pleasant surprise he opened the door to an empty compartment and the two entered. They sat opposite each other in window seats.

"How was your summer?" Luna asked as she placed her bag on the empty seat next to her.

"It was great," he said, grinning as he reached into his back pocket and withdrew a crumpled newspaper clipping. "Dad won a Ministry raffle and we used the prize money to take a vacation to Egypt. I think that was the first time we'd ever gone on vacation."

Unfolding the news clipping and smoothing it on her leg, Luna could make out the entire Weasley family smiling and waving with a pyramid behind them. Even though the clipping was in black and white Luna could imagine the flaming red hair that accompanied all of their heads.

Fred soon went into detail about the vacation and the two didn't even notice that the train had started moving. This journey to Hogwarts was vastly improved over the one she had to endure last year. A year prior she was in a cramped compartment with several other first years who all took to making fun of her.

A small knock on the compartment door was all it took for Fred and Luna to take a break from their conversation. Fred stood up and opened the door to reveal a pair of nervous looking first years.

"Um, can we sit in here?" a girl with straight brown hair asked. "Everywhere else is full."

"Sure," Fred shrugged as he made his way back to his seat.

Luna moved her bag into her lap to make room for the first years and was soon brought into conversation again with Fred.

"Are you nervous about taking your O.W.L.s this year?" Luna asked.

"Not really," Fred said dismissively. "You're a second year now. Going to try out for the Quidditch team?"

"Oh, never," Luna said with a shake of her head. "I would do more damage than good if I joined the Quidditch team."

Fred gave out a laugh that was soon quieted by the train jerking to an unnatural stop. The two first years gave cries of fear which Luna would have normally comforted if Fred's hand wasn't on her knee. She looked quickly at the hand covered in brown freckles and her heart gave a lurch not unlike the one the train had made just moments before.

Suddenly the glass of the compartment windows started to fog and a tall, dark figure glided down the corridor. A flash of her mother crossed across her mind and she felt nothing but the cold and sadness. Then she remembered the hand clamped on her knee and thought about brown eyes. Warm, brown eyes that had crinkles around them whenever he smiled.

The owner of these remarkable brown eyes was sitting across from her and looking right at her. Luna turned her head in a quick double take to make sure she hadn't imagined it. He was staring right into her eyes with so much intensity she felt her heart leap to her throat. His eyes were her anchor away from this overcoming cold, but she never thought it would be her eyes that served as his. Maybe Angelina's dark brown eyes, but never her big blue ones.

The depression lifted and Luna was able to disconnect her eyes from Fred's. The two first years were shaking but seemed unharmed. Luna felt Fred's hand release her knee and she saw him looking uncomfortable from the corner of her eye. He stood up and walked toward the compartment door that was currently dripping in condensation.

"I'm going to go ask around to see what happened," he said and left the compartment without another word.

"Is he your boyfriend?" the girl with the straight brown hair asked.

Luna felt her face heat up before she shook her head. "No."

"Good, because I want him!" the other first year girl said fervently.

"Well, if it's okay with him," Luna said as she tried to gain an uncaring tone in her voice.

These girls were only a year younger than her. They certainly had no chance of gaining his attention so her chances were surely just as slim. Fred came back to compartment shortly afterward.

"It was a Dementor," he said harshly as he took his seat across from Luna. "They were looking for Sirius Black."

"Stubby Boardman?" Luna inquired with her head tilted to the side.

The two first years sniggered behind their hands but Fred just smiled at her serenely. "Yeah. Don't know why they would be looking for a singer on a school train though."

"Yes, it is quite strange," Luna agreed dreamily.

A quick glance at the two first years and it was easy to tell that they no longer held any interest in Fred because of his apparent belief in what Luna had told him.

"How far are we away from the school?" Luna asked.

"Probably another hour or two," Fred said.

As he spoke the train started to move again and the journey to Hogwarts continued.


	18. Breakfast

_056. Breakfast_

School had been in session for only a couple of weeks and Luna wasn't feeling at ease at all. After news that Sirius Black was on the loose Luna thought that Hogwarts would just have a few more protections around the school. She never would have thought that Dementors would be put on guard at all of the school entrances. Going out to the school grounds was nearly impossible now that she had to endure a wave of depression every time she stepped foot outside.

It was breakfast time and Luna was absentmindedly doodling a picture of a Blibbering Humdinger when Fred took the seat across from her. She looked up from her sketch to see him helping himself to a piece of toast.

"What's your schedule look like for today?" he asked with his mouth full of bread.

"I have Defense Against the Dark Arts in about thirty minutes," Luna said airily as she put her sketch and quill back in her bag.

"Want to take a walk with me?" he asked.

"All right," Luna complied.

The two stood up from the table and Luna wrapped up a few pieces of toast in a napkin before following Fred out of the hall. They didn't go outside because of the Dementors but instead walked down a long, window-filled corridor. Neither said anything while Luna munched on her toast and Fred wrung his hands together nervously.

"So, I've been thinking," Fred started.

"Not too much I hope," Luna interjected as they came to an abrupt stop in the corridor.

"I'm not, don't worry," Fred said with a grin. "It's just… I think I'm finally going to do it. Y'know, ask Angelina out. The first Hogsmeade visit is coming up so I think I'll do it then."

Luna felt as if her heart had stopped beating. An uneasy tremor took her over as she digested this news. There was no way Angelina would even dream of saying no. Luna wasn't dumb; she saw the way Angelina looked at him. She also saw how Fred looked at Angelina.

Words of encouragement were about to tumble from her lips before she stopped herself.

"But what about Quidditch practice?" she said, the words coming out of her mouth seemingly on their own accord. "Didn't you say that your captain is training you twice as hard this year? What if things don't work out between you two? Wouldn't Quidditch practice suffer because of that?"

It was easy to tell that Fred wasn't expecting this. He attempted to look thoughtful but only came across as confused and concerned. The confidence he had given with his declaration just moments before was beginning to waver. She wanted to take it back, but it was too late and if it got him to spend more time thinking about it…

"You're right," Fred said after some time had passed. "Quidditch first, then girls. Thanks, Luna."

She could tell that he wasn't exactly thankful for the stream of questions she had provided him with. The more time he thought about asking Angelina out was more time Luna had to grow. Maybe she could hold it off until she was a bit older and capable of being with him. Really _being _with him.

"Should we head back?" Luna suggested after the awkward silence. "I would like to get some eggs before I have to head to class."

"Yeah, sure," Fred said.

The two began to walk back down the corridor with guilt ebbing away at Luna. It was never her intention to say those things, but some kind of jealous rage had taken her over. She was twelve, Fred was fifteen. There was no way he would ever fall for her. Even when she got older her doubts would probably still be there. She was just Loony Lovegood with a loony crush on a boy who would never like her like she liked him.

"Hey, Luna," Fred said, breaking into her thoughts.

"Yes?" Luna asked.

"Thanks for always having my back," he said with a small smile as he ruffled her blonde hair.

"Oh, um, you're welcome?" she said the statement like a question.

Fred gave a loud laugh as they reached the Great Hall. They sat at the Ravenclaw table and Fred watched as Luna piled scrambled eggs on to her plate.

"Is breakfast your favorite meal?" Fred asked.

"Oh, yes," Luna said, nodding her head fervently. "It gives you energy for the rest of the day so you stay alert. The more alert you are the less likely a Wrackspurt will come whizzing into your head."

"Fair enough," Fred shrugged as he helped himself to a piece of bacon.

They sat eating for a few minutes until Luna saw Fred's eyes drift toward the Gryffindor table. There was no denying that he was looking for Angelina. Luna tried to ignore his wandering gaze, but found it difficult since he kept trying to look past her head.

"Do you want me to scoot over?" Luna asked.

"What?" Fred asked. "Sorry, Luna, I didn't quite catch that."

"It's nothing," Luna said, finishing her eggs and standing up. "I have to get to class."

"Oh, sure," Fred said as he stood up too. "See you around."

Luna gave a wave in farewell that went unnoticed by Fred. She was at the entrance to the hall when she looked back to the Gryffindor table. Fred was sitting awfully close to Angelina as they talked with their heads close together with smiles on their faces.

Whipping around, Luna immediately regretted looking back. Why was she so stupid and strange and different and young? How could she even think that her suggestion about him waiting would even matter to him?

Walking quickly up a flight of stairs, Luna felt tears begin to sting at the corners of her eyes. A summer was enough to drive them apart. They didn't seem as close this year and he liked Angelina even more and…

The thought Luna had been meaning to finish got cut off in her head. The eggs she had just devoured moments before seemed to have given her a nasty stomachache. Luna groaned as she changed her path to the Hospital Wing. Worst breakfast ever.


	19. Smell

_036. Smell_

With thirty minutes till two o'clock Luna was beginning to wonder if he was even going to show up. It was the anniversary of her parents meeting and Luna was on top of the Astronomy Tower waiting for Fred. He had promised her at dinner time that he would meet her around one o'clock, but it was thirty minutes past and Luna felt doubt start to creep up on her.

Angelina had become a driving force in Fred's life. Not only were his Quidditch practices filled with her, but the practices themselves were scheduled more frequently. It seemed that conversations that Luna used to enjoy having with Fred were now filled with Angelina all of the time. In all honesty it was starting to get on her nerves a bit.

The door to the tower opened and Luna jumped. Turning her head, she saw Fred walk through the door carrying what looked like plates. He saw her and grinned.

"Hey," Fred said in greeting. "Sorry I'm late. I went to the kitchens to get us some food and ran into Mrs. Norris on the way. I don't think she saw me though."

He handed a dumbfounded Luna a plate of pudding before taking a seat next to her on the stone floor.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked, taking note of Luna's confused face.

"I thought you weren't going to come and then the tower door opens," Luna said. "I thought you were Mr. Filch."

"Now that's just insulting," Fred said, stuffing his mouth with food. "I look nothing like Filch."

"You just startled me," Luna said, ignoring his comment.

The two continued to eat in silence as the night went on peacefully. It really was a stark contrast to how last year had been. It wasn't storming for one, and for another Fred and Luna felt more comfortable around each other. They were true friends now after all.

"What's that smell?" Luna asked, scrunching up her nose and sniffing.

"What's it smell like?" Fred asked.

"I can't place it," Luna admitted as she continued to sniff. "It's not the food… it just smells _rotten_."

Fred looked at her strangely before he began to sniff the air as well. It took a while but sure enough Luna saw that Fred had smelled it too. His face scrunched up and he moved his face away before standing up.

"What are you doing?" Luna asked, putting her half-eaten plate of pudding down and standing up as well.

"Well, it can't be far," Fred said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm going to see if I can figure out where it's coming from."

Luna followed behind him as he lit his wand and walked around the tower floor. Soon he bent over the edge of the tower to look on the roof below, but soon recoiled with a disgusted look on his face.

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"No, Luna don't look-," Fred started, putting a hand on her shoulder to pull her back.

It was too late. Luna had already bent over the side of the railing to see the source of the awful stench. On a small section of the rood under the Astronomy Tower was a barn owl pecking at the remains of a rotting baby hare.

Luna's hands went to her mouth, but for some reason she couldn't look away. She was glued to the spot just looking at the dreadfully bloody sight. Fred's grip on her tightened as he spun her around and wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest.

"That's so awful," she cried as she clutched to his t-shirt. "Why would it… I just don't understand."

"I know, I know," Fred murmured, smoothing her blonde curls down her back. "Just get it out of your mind. Don't think about it. Think about your mum."

"Hares were her favorite animals!" Luna said, pulling back from Fred and wiping furiously at her tears. "How can owls be so cruel? I would expect something like that from a Heliopath, but never an owl."

"It's just trying to survive," Fred attempted to reason as he brought her back tightly in his arms. "Five minutes, Luna. Five more minutes and I'll take you back to Ravenclaw Tower and you can forget this ever happened."

"Unless I have nightmares!" Luna interjected.

Fred took a deep breath and just continued to stroke her hair. Little Miss Stubborn wasn't going to forget this for as long as she lived and would always pin the blame on him. He couldn't really blame her though. He had brought her to the sight and it wasn't the prettiest thing to look at. For a twelve year-old girl it was probably terrifying.

"So, if your mum's favorite animal is a hare, then what's yours?" Fred asked, trying to change the subject.

"Hares," Luna said bluntly.

Well, that didn't work.

"What about you?" Luna asked in turn. "What is your favorite animal?"

"I like wolves," Fred said with a shrug as he slowly steered them in the direction of the food they had abandoned.

She didn't respond and when they sat down again Fred was relieved to see that she wasn't crying anymore.

"Are you all right?" Fred asked.

"I'm fine," Luna said as she picked up her plate of pudding again.

"You know I love ya, kid," Fred said, ruffling her hair. "I never would have gone looking for that smell if I didn't know what it was."

Luna's face faltered in surprise as she looked at him. That was the first time he had ever said that he loved her. Sure, it wasn't romantically, but it was still a very serious thing. Before Luna could respond Fred looked at his watch and grinned.

"My parents just met?" Luna guessed.

"Yes, they did," Fred said with a nod.

The pair sat in silence for a bit as they finished their food before both of them stood up. As they descended the stairs Luna couldn't help feeling grateful for Fred. If he hadn't shown up then there was no doubt she would have investigated the smell on her own. Then she would have had to endure that scene all on her own.

Smiling softly, Luna took Fred's hand in hers.

"I love ya too," she said before pushing past him to walk down the stairs so he wouldn't see her reddened face.


	20. Spirit

_055. Spirit _

Sleeping on the cold stone floor of the Great Hall while a serial killer could very well be on the loose wasn't comforting at all. It was mid-October and after a weekend visit to Hogsmeade the Fat Lady was missing. Well, until she was found and informed everyone that Sirius Black was running around the castle.

The only other thing that put Luna on edge was that Fred and Angelina were currently engaged in pillow talk. Lying on her stomach, Luna could peek through her bangs just enough to see them whispering and giggling only a few sleeping bags away.

Turning over to her side, Luna gave a jump of surprise to find the Grey Lady peering down at her.

"Sleeping well, young Ravenclaw?" she asked, bending down to Luna's level.

"Um, no," Luna answered honestly as she looked around the hall.

No one else seemed to have noticed this exchange, but Luna kept her voice low all the same.

"He looks charming," the Grey Lady noted, looking at Fred who was currently brushing a piece of hair from Angelina's face.

"Yes, he's very nice," Luna said. "Listen. It's probably best if I go to sleep. I don't think anyone appreciates me talking to a spirit in the middle of the night."

"A spirit, hm?" the Grey Lady pondered, obviously ignoring the other portion of Luna's sentence. "No one has ever called me that before. It sounds much nicer than a 'ghost'."

Usually Luna would have jumped at the chance to have a conversation with a spirit, but her heart just wasn't in it. From the corner of her eye she noticed that Angelina was now asleep, but that Fred was missing from his sleeping bag.

"Boo!" someone whispered from behind her.

Luna was just about to shriek when a freckled hand clamped over her mouth. Turning around quickly, Luna saw Fred sitting behind her with a bemused expression. Taking her pillow, Luna pummeled him over the head which efficiently wiped the look right off of his face.

"Who are you talking to in the middle of the night?" Fred asked with a hint of laughter still in his voice.

"The Grey Lady," Luna said, turning around only to see that the spirit was no longer there. "Well I was, but you must have scared her off."

"The Ravenclaw ghost?" Fred asked as her looked around the hall.

"Yes, that's right," Luna said with a small eye roll. "Now if you'll excuse me I would really like some sleep."

Putting her pillow back in place, Luna got into the sleeping bag again and closed her eyes tight. After a few long seconds passed Luna opened her eyes a crack only to see Fred still sitting next to her.

"Who are you and what have you done with Luna Lovegood?" Fred asked.

"Excuse me?" Luna inquired as she sat up again.

"You seem so _serious_," Fred said laughingly.

"I can be serious," Luna said defensively.

This didn't seem to convince Fred though as he shook his head and inched toward her. Luna felt her face grow warm and was thankful that it was so hard to see in the dark hall.

"Did I do something?" Fred asked cautiously. "You seem a little less spirited than usual. A little angry, even."

"Well I'm not," Luna said.

She was jealous actually. Jealous that she couldn't be the one Fred wanted to put his sleeping bag next to. Jealous that he didn't look at her the way he looked at Angelina.

But admitting these things to anyone but herself was extremely selfish. Fred was her best friend and there was no way she would sacrifice his happiness for her own. It just didn't work that way.

"If you say so," Fred said, looking far from convinced. "If anything's bothering you, just tell me."

"I will," Luna said.

Even though these words surely sounded like a farewell for the night Fred continued to sit there next to her and Luna made no indication of falling asleep. Things were bothering her, but she couldn't tell him. She couldn't tell him how much it hurt to see him having such a wonderful time with Angelina every day.

Maybe she could though.

"It's just that..." Luna started. "Never mind. Just go back to your sleeping bag, Fred. I'll see you in the morning."

"All right," Fred said giving a slow nod. "Good night."

"Good night," Luna said as she closed her eyes shut and turned away from him.

She could hear him walking quietly across the floor and knew that he was back at his own sleeping bag, lying next to Angelina.

"You love him, don't you?"

It was the third time that night Luna was given a minor heart attack. Opening her eyes, Luna saw that the Grey Lady had resumed her post next to Luna.

"As a friend," Luna said quietly. "Please, spirit, can you just let me get some rest?"

"I once loved a man," the Grey Lady said. "I died before we could marry though. Actually I died before I could confess my love to him. I was killed by the-."

"I'm very sorry, but I really just want some sleep," Luna pleaded. "I would love to listen to your story another time, but not tonight."

"That boy loves that other girl doesn't he?" the Grey Lady continued.

The Grey Lady then continued to talk in a never ending tangent about the pains of unrequited love. Luna wished that she would just leave. She had respect for the Grey Lady, of course, but her heart just wasn't very in to listening to her drone on and on about her past.

"Could you please just leave?" Luna said in a harsh whisper.

The Grey Lady looked at Luna with an arched brow before gliding across the other students and out of the Great Hall. Now she could finally get the sleep she had been longing for. That was until the boy next to her started snoring.


	21. Strangers

_025. Strangers _

November came quicker than anyone expected. The air outside was even colder than a normal November though due to the swarms of Dementors monitoring the school. But even the Dementors couldn't break the spirits of the upcoming Quidditch match. It was the first game of the year, but instead of the usual Gryffindor vs. Slytherin showdown it was now Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff.

Apparently the Slytherins' Seeker was too badly injured because of a Hippogriff attack or something. Luna found herself being skeptical of this excuse as she peered at the blonde haired boy one table over in the Great Hall. He was scooping food into his mouth with great ease.

It didn't matter much to Luna though; Quidditch had never excited her much so she didn't really give a care to the outcome of the game.

Actually Luna's personal excitement meter wasn't working that well lately. Fred had become accustomed to sitting at the Gryffindor table during all meals now and only acknowledged Luna in the hallways if she approached him. She knew from the beginning that it was only a matter of time before he would brush off their friendship and they would become complete strangers.

Luna left the Great Hall as soon as she was finished eating and made her way back to Ravenclaw Tower until she heard someone shout her name. Turning around, Luna saw Ginny making her way toward her with a broad smile on her face.

"Hey, we haven't talked in ages!" Ginny exclaimed as she approached Luna. "How have you been?"

"All right," Luna said absentmindedly as the two walked up the stone steps.

"I haven't seen you talking to Fred lately," Ginny said slowly. "He's too busy staring at Angelina like a puppy. It's a bit pathetic."

"He's not pathetic," Luna dismissed with a shake of her head.

Ginny gave a tense smile as the two girls continued to walk through the corridors. Luna could tell that Ginny was worried about her. It was a sweet gesture, but Luna was too preoccupied with trying to forget about Fred. Needless to say this wasn't the best plan since thinking about him constantly wasn't making her feel any better.

"He's treating you like a stranger," Ginny continued. "It's completely unfair. Do you want me to talk to him for you?"

"No," Luna said with a shake of her head. "I just want to get some rest. I've got a big Charms exam tomorrow."

Ginny gave an unconvinced nod as the two girls split up to walk to their respective common rooms. Dragging her feet slightly, Luna couldn't help but think that she did something to upset him. There wasn't anything that came across as offensive in her mind though. Maybe she was just a charity case. He had probably felt sorry for the strange girl no one wanted to be friends with, but now saw that his full attention served better with Angelina.

Not wanting to think about it any longer, Luna started to climb the steps to Ravenclaw Tower with the only thought in her mind being her comfy bed.

* * *

The Gryffindor common room was now empty except for Fred and a drooling first year asleep on the rug in front of the fire. With an aggravated groan Fred gave the first year a shove.

"Beat it, kid," he said sharply. "It's past your bed time."

The first year woke up instantly and sprinted off to the steps leading to the boys' dormitory. Giving out a long sigh, Fred sunk into an armchair and tried to fight the urge to punch himself in his face. He had seen Luna's face during dinner tonight and lunch and breakfast and in hallways between classes and the week before that and before that and… well, he could go on for a while.

He was doing what needed to be done though. Acting like she was a total stranger was the best solution to his problem. Focus on Quidditch, Angelina, and school (well, maybe not school). Just don't focus on Luna.

It was for the best reasons as well. He always had the best intentions when it concerned Luna and if the best thing to do was to keep away from her then so be it.

Luna wasn't the most popular girl in school but she was friends with Ginny. She didn't need him. That's what he tried to convince himself. After dinner Ginny had been waiting for him in the common room where she yelled at him until she was short of breath about Luna and how he needed to apologize to her.

Wanting to tell Ginny that he had nothing but the best intentions toward Luna wouldn't do though. There was no way he could tell Ginny about these intentions.

Fred liked Luna.

Fred _liked _Luna.

She was a twelve year-old kid, barely older than his baby sister, and he _liked _her like he liked Angelina. The urge to punch himself had never been greater. If he stayed around Luna there was no doubt that he would act on these feeling and that probably wouldn't go over too well with Luna.

First, he was treated her like a stranger. Second, he was basically like a brother to her. Finally, he was three years older than her.

Being three years older than someone wasn't that big of a deal if the people were in their twenties, but she twelve and he was fifteen. The only solution was to stay away from Luna and pursue Angelina even harder. Maybe after being away from her for a long time would get these new feelings out of his system and they could be friends again.

Or he could keep his feelings and urges in check and start talking to her again. He didn't want to seem boasting, but he was the only true friend Luna had and staying away from her probably wasn't the best idea. She had approached him in the hallways a few times and he had tried to act normal, but it was hard.

To think that the weird little girl he had met over a year ago was driving him this insane certainly was a weird thought.


	22. Insides

_004. Insides_

November was coming to a close just as quickly as it had appeared. Frost and a thin layer of snow covered the grounds of Hogwarts and the ever-present Dementors only added to the cold and gloom. It had been weeks since Luna had talked with Ginny about Fred and he still hadn't come along. If anything he was avoiding her even more than before.

Luna used to be able to at least approach him in the corridors, but now if he saw her coming he would automatically start briskly walking in the opposite direction. After a week or two Luna wrote to her father to ask if there was some kind of illness that Fred might have that would cause him to avoid her so much.

Xenophilius wrote a rather lengthy response informing her of a rare infection called "Wantan Phulan" that affected someone's brain functions from the inside and caused them to run away on sight of a specific person. After reading this informing letter Luna was able to finally feel some relief. Her father said that the effects only lasted for a couple of weeks, but it had been close to a month so Luna's worries were even more present.

The loss of the Quidditch game against Hufflepuff probably upset him, but not enough to stop talking to her. Maybe he was comforting Angelina over their loss. Or maybe Quidditch had nothing to do with it and he was just sick of Luna.

Possibility after possibility kept playing over and over again in her mind, but all leaded back to him getting sick of her. Her insides churned at the thought. The first true friend she had ever had ignoring her and making it seem like all a lie was truly nauseating.

It was Saturday night when Luna saw Fred again. Second years had an early curfew and Luna was making her way back to Ravenclaw Tower when she spotted him walking with George and Lee. The trio was walking toward her in the hallway and she quickly turned her head to make sure it seemed to them that she hadn't seen them. This would have been a smart decision if she hadn't run into a pillar.

George and Lee howled in laughter as she sat on the floor clutching her aching head as Fred stooped down next to her.

"Are you all right?" Fred asked with worry etched across his face.

It was as if the weeks of silence had never happened and they were best friends again. Almost.

"Yes, I'm fine," Luna said, slowly getting to her feet.

"Well, that's good," Fred said, backing away slowly before walking away with George and Lee.

It took a few seconds for Luna to realize that he had just blown her off without a second glance. The sadness that usually would have appeared inside of her soon turned into anger as she turned on her heel and marched after them.

For a tiny twelve year-old girl Luna found that she had extraordinary strength as she grabbed the back of Fred's shirt and pulled him a good foot or two toward her. George and Lee looked at the pair curiously before giving low chuckles.

"We'll let you two talk this out," Lee said.

"Yeah, see you guys later," George agreed with a snigger as he exited the corridor with Lee.

Fred and Luna were alone in the corridor just staring at each other before Fred opened his mouth to talk before closing it again.

"Why?" Luna asked, hoping that the one word would show how much she was hurting inside.

"I can't be around you, Luna," Fred said almost instantly as if he had been rehearsing this for a while.

"Why?" Luna repeated, refusing to let the tears building up in her eyes fall. "You hurt me, Fred."

"I'm sorry," Fred apologized as he took a step forward.

They didn't say anything else after that. It was obvious to Luna that her suspicions had been spot on. He really was sick of her. She really was just a charity case to him and it was ripping her apart inside.

"Luna," Fred started before closing his mouth once again and looking at a loss for words.

"Just don't," Luna said as a solitary tear made a trail down her cheek.

She once again turned on her heel to march away from him when he grabbed her elbow and spun her around. Stumbling slightly Luna place a hand against his chest for support before looking up at him with what she hoped was an angry expression.

Only seconds from giving an angry retort Luna looked up into his brown eyes and felt her heart flutter inside her chest. He was looking at her with so much intensity it was making her uncomfortable. Yet she found that there was warmth in the look he was giving her as he bent his head slightly down to her level. Luna felt her breath hitch in her throat.

"Wantan Phulan!" she said quickly when he was a few inches from her.

This seemed to wake him from whatever daze he was in as he stepped back and looked at her wildly.

"What?" he asked.

"Wantan Phulan," Luna said once more as she put her hand to her chest, hoping to calm her pounding heart. "It's an infection that affects the brain. It causes a person to run away from a certain person on sight. I was waiting for the effects to wear off, but apparently you have a nasty case of it. It must have been controlling your insides for nearly double the time as usual."

Fred gave her a disbelieving look before giving off a laugh and running a hand through his red hair.

"Thank goodness," he said with a sigh of relief. "You've cured me, Luna. I don't know what I would do without you."

Luna gave a wide smile before rushing at him and wrapping her arms around his middle. "I'm happy your insides are back to normal."

"Me too," Fred said, smiling as he placed a hand on top of her head.


	23. Teammates

_026. Teammates _

The first term of the school year was wrapping up and everyone was buzzing with excitement for the Christmas holidays. Mistletoe was placed in copious amounts throughout the school and Luna was finding it hard to avoid it much to her dismay. One of these days a Nargle was going to attack her as soon as she passed under one.

Classes were over for the day and Luna was heading out to the Quidditch pitch to watch the Gryffindor team practice. After their loss against Hufflepuff chances of gaining the House Cup were getting slim so the Gryffindor captain had arranged for even more frequent practices. This was fine by Luna since she now had a solid reason for Fred not spending as much time with her.

Even though the time he didn't spend with Luna was now spent with his friends or Angelina. They were teammates so she shouldn't really have expected them to not spend time with each other. Luna really did like Angelina. She was nice and never made fun of her like the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Well, except for Harry Potter. Luna had never even talked to him before and didn't exactly want to.

With all of those Wrackspurts hanging around his head it was only a matter of time before one decided to inhabit Luna if she got too close.

Watching the Gryffindor team was a lot more exciting than watching the Ravenclaw team. Ravenclaws really were better at using their minds which in turn led to every team member thinking that their way was best. The Ravenclaw team just didn't consist of friendly teammates like the Gryffindor team.

After about an hour of practice the Gryffindor team finally hit the locker room. Luna waited patiently with her coat wrapped tightly around her until she saw Fred ascending the steps up to her in the stands.

"How was our formation?" he asked as he sat next to her on the stands.

"Very nice," Luna said honestly.

Fred had been acting strangely ever since they had started talking again. He didn't sit close to her anymore. Actually he rarely touched her or looked her in the eye anymore. It was like he was avoiding her for some reason she just couldn't make out.

"Well let's head inside," he said, standing up. "It's freezing."

"Are you not cold when you practice?" Luna asked as they walked toward the exit of the stands.

"We're moving around so much I barely notice it," he shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair.

They walked off the pitch and across the grounds in silence. He was walking a considerable distance directly in front of her. All she could see was his back and in all honesty it was getting on her nerves. She didn't address it though. If it caused him to ignore her for good she wouldn't dare chance it.

"You and Angelina are really good teammates," Luna said, keeping her tone conversational. "When are you going to ask her out?"

It was worth bringing up the topic just to see him trip over his own feet and fall face first into the snow. Luna left out a tinkling laugh against her better judgment and hurried over to him to help. He sat up and looked at her with a bemused expression.

"You think that's funny, do you?" he asked with a smirk.

Luna's response was to let out another giggle. Fred shook his head and outstretched his hand toward Luna. Taking it as him wanting her to help him up, Luna grabbed his hand only to be pulled into the snow with him. She squeezed her eyes closed and instantly rolled over to be on her back.

Wiping the snow off of her eyes, Luna opened them to see Fred directly above her with his face only a few inches from hers. For once in so many weeks he was looking directly into her eyes.

Turning her head quickly, Luna could hear Fred give a muffled cough before standing up and grabbing her hands in his to help her to her feet. Letting go of her hands instantly, Fred shoved his hands in his pockets and continued toward the castle. Luna followed him but instead of walking behind him she walked at his side.

No words were exchanged between them until they were enveloped in the warmth of the castle.

"Do you want me to walk you to your common room?" Fred asked.

"Sure," Luna said with a nod of her head.

The two began to walk toward Ravenclaw Tower when Luna saw a cluster of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. Groaning inwardly, Luna was about to point out that they should go around it when Fred walked right under it. Luna moved forward and grabbed his arm to pull him out when she noticed that she was under it as well.

"Oh no," Luna moaned, expecting Nargles to come whizzing out from under it and attack them.

All she got though were a few sniggers and remarks from passersby.

"Hey look, Loony caught someone under the mistletoe," a Slytherin girl laughed.

This remark caused several students to cluster around them to see what was going on. Luna looked up at Fred to see him peering up at the mistletoe with his cheeks a faint shade of pink.

"Can't be helped I guess," he said with a small shrug as he stooped down to press a kiss to Luna's forehead.

The crowd groaned in disappointment as Fred took Luna's hand and continued toward Ravenclaw Tower.

"Why did you do that?" Luna asked, feeling her face heat up.

"It's mistletoe, it's what you do," he said nonchalantly.

Feeling unconvinced, Luna took her hand from Fred's grasp as they approached the stairs leading to Ravenclaw Tower.

"I'll ask Angelina out when I'm ready to," Fred said. "Maybe a month from now, or maybe even a year."

"Oh, well all right," Luna said.

"Right now we're just teammates," Fred said. "Just like we're kind of teammates, Luna."

Fred left her there in front of the stairs feeling more confused than she had felt in a while.


	24. Drink

_060. Drink_

With Christmas only a few days away Luna found herself hanging strings of dirigible plums around the sitting room in the home she shared with her father. Xenophilius was currently out doing last minute touch-ups on the Christmas edition of _The Quibbler _leaving Luna alone to finish the decorating.

Her father had helped her with most of it so she didn't mind finishing it on her own. She was almost done anyway and then she could make some Gurdyroot Infusion and go to bed. It had been a long day of unpacking her trunk and preparing the house for Christmas, but soon it would be Christmas and she could relax. Christmas was spent with her father opening presents and eating and… well not much.

Luna was used to life with just dad around, but after going to Hogwarts she found that Christmas could be extremely lonely with just her father. In all honesty she had taken an indifferent route to the holiday. It just didn't seem to matter much anymore.

As Luna finished hanging the plums there was a light knock on the door. Assuming that it was her father, Luna opened the door to reveal someone who looked nothing like her father.

"Fred?" Luna asked incredulously as he gave her a broad grin.

"Hey," he greeted. "Can I come in? It's freezing outside."

"Oh, um, of course," Luna said, opening the door wider and stepping aside so he could enter the sitting room. "So, Fred, why are you here exactly?"

"Just spreading some Christmas joy," Fred said with a nonchalant shrug as he looked around the room.

Luna stood awkwardly in the middle of the room as Fred looked around with an awed expression on his face. It was as if he had never been to another person's home before.

"Do you want something to drink?" Luna offered. "I was about to make some Gurdyroot Infusion."

"Some what?" Fred asked with a perked eyebrow.

"Gurdyroot Infusion," Luna repeated with a slight eye roll. "It's quite good."

"Yeah, sure," Fred shrugged.

Giving a nod, Luna turned around and walked quickly to the kitchen. She flashed a smile over her shoulder at Fred before walking completely into the kitchen and placing her hands on the countertop.

What was he doing here? They never saw each other outside of school and he just came barging in here. Well, she didn't exactly stop him, but still! Her father could be home any minute and what would he think when he saw Fred lounging on their sofa?

"Hey, Luna, where's your dad?" Fred called from the sitting room.

"Um, he's at work," Luna called back as she started to gather the ingredients for the Gurdyroot Infusion. "He should be back soon though."

Fred didn't respond and Luna took no mind to it. She just had to make this drink as quickly as possible, force it down his esophagus if she had too, and shove him out the door. Why was he even here? It's not like he couldn't see her for a couple of weeks before going crazy.

This thought seem to settle in her brain as Luna start to mix Gurdyroot and a few other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Maybe he just missed her. It was a nice thought. One that was quickly overtaken by him also choosing to visit Angelina as well since he most definitely missed her just as much if not more.

_If _Fred was here because he missed her that is.

After boiling the ingredients and splitting it into two mugs, Luna made her way back into the sitting room where she handed Fred a mug. He took it and Luna didn't miss the disgusted look he made as he peered into the mug at the purple liquid.

"So, how's your holiday going?" Luna asked as she sipped her drink and sat down next to him on the sofa.

"It's going well," he said as he too sipped the drink.

His face was a mixture of disgust and curiosity as he pondered taking another sip or not. Luna stifled a giggle before taking a large gulp from her mug.

"No offense, but how can you drink that?" he asked, placing the mug on the coffee table.

"It takes some getting used to," Luna shrugged, placing her mug on the table as well.

The two sat in awkward silence as Fred continued to look around the sitting room and Luna gave him small glances every now and then. The thought of her father coming home soon was still in her mind, but she didn't really care anymore. There was something about Fred that just warmed her. All she had to do was look at him to be happy and right now that was enough.

"I should get going," Fred said, standing up abruptly.

"Already?" Luna asked, standing up as well and finding it hard to hide her disappointment.

"My mum doesn't know I'm here," Fred said, walking toward the door. "With Sirius Black on the loose there was no way she would let me out of the house. I only came because I wanted to see you."

Luna felt her heart start to speed up as he smiled at her.

"I know it's only been a week or so, but I really missed you," he finished as he cracked the door open. "Happy Christmas, Luna."

"You too," Luna said earnestly.

They stood in the doorway for a few more seconds just looking at each other until Fred broke the gaze and walked on to the front porch.

"I'll see you at school," Fred said, walking down the stone steps and looking back up at her when he got to the bottom.

"'Course," Luna said nodding.

He started to walk away and when she could barely see his back anymore Luna let out a sigh of breath.

"I love you," she said softly and then clamped her hand over her mouth.

She couldn't believe she had just said that. He was nowhere in earshot, but she had still said it. It was so abrupt and surprising and unexpected and…

True.

It was _so _true.


	25. Home

_090. Home_

Back at school caused many students to take on unpleasant moods and with Sirius Black still at large a state of panic was still looming over the school. It wasn't as bad as last year when the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and everyone was going crazy. The danger was coming from outside now so it was a bit more comforting.

So with everyone panicking and flinching at every corner it was hard to see why Luna Lovegood basically floated around the castle with a glow of happiness surrounding her. Students and staff just brushed it off as her being her usual loony self, but it was so much more to Luna.

She was finally home. Home at last. The house she shared with her father gave her comfort and familiarity, but Hogwarts truly was her real home. It was where she had made her first friends and she knew her way around so well and it just felt _right_.

Classes were over for the day and all of the students were heading to their common rooms since it was far too cold to go outside. Luna was heading toward Ravenclaw Tower as well when she saw Fred Weasley talking with someone outside. Out of curiosity Luna peered out of a window in the hallway she was passing through.

Squinting through the snow, Luna could _just _make out Fred and Angelina talking to each other. Or maybe yelling was a better term. Instead of following her good sense and going on ahead to Ravenclaw Tower, Luna turned back around and descended a stone staircase to get a better view.

Once she was directly under the hallway she had just been standing in, but now on the ground floor, Luna looked once more out of a window to see that she obviously hadn't missed much. The couple was still outside except now Angelina had her hands on her hips and Fred seemed to be cowering slightly. Snow was still swirling around outside making it hard to see. Luna was closer to the scene though so it was easier to make out their movements.

Eventually Angelina threw her hands up in what Luna assumed to be exasperation and stomped through the snow back to the castle. Fred looked dismayed at her sudden exit and Luna was about to go meet him outside to question him about what she had just witnessed when he started running after Angelina. He grabbed her elbow and spun her around and Luna could remember him doing the same thing to her several times.

In one second Fred was talking to Angelina again and in the next he was pressing his lips against hers.

Luna felt her heart drop into her stomach with a surprisingly strong force as she gaped at the embracing couple from the window. She should feel happy that Fred had finally gotten the guts to express how he felt about Angelina, but she couldn't bring herself to smile. It hurt more than anything else.

Seconds felt like minutes before the two broke apart. Luna expected them to come together for another kiss before Angelina took her hand and slapped Fred right across the face. Jumping, Luna watched in shock as Angelina marched back to the entrance of the castle and entered it.

Fred watched her go sadly before sighing and walking toward the entrance to the castle Luna was standing next to. She knew it would be best if she left and continued to Ravenclaw Tower, but Luna found herself frozen to the spot. Fred opened the side door and closed it before putting his head in his hands and sighing deeply.

"I'm such a git," he said.

"No you're not," Luna said quietly.

Startled, Fred looked over to her. He looked sad and angry all at the same time. Actually he just looked angry.

"Luna," Fred said as he stomped over to her and placed a hand next to her head on the stone wall. "How much did you see?"

"Well, I didn't hear anything," Luna said, feeling slightly afraid as he moved his face closer to hers.

"That's not what I asked," he said roughly.

"Most of it, I assume," Luna said, shrinking against the wall.

He continued to glower at her before she found the courage to speak again.

"I don't think kissing her so abruptly was a good way to make her see that you like her so much," she said softly, avoiding his eyes.

"That was private," he said without changing his tone. "I just- I panicked and she was walking away and… We were talking about you and it made her angry because I-."

His mouth closed and he looked to the side, finally taking his gaze off of Luna.

"Never mind," Fred said. "Just go to your common room, Luna. We can talk tomorrow."

"No we can't!" Luna cried as he began to walk away. "Something's wrong with you, Fred! I can't- I can't be friends with you anymore. You need to figure out what's going on in that head of yours before you start talking to me again. I don't want to be around you any longer!"

With much courage that she had no idea she possessed Luna marched straight passed him. It wasn't until she reached the stairs leading to Ravenclaw Tower that Luna sat down on the stairs and put her face in her hands.

She knew she had done the right thing by giving him time to sort things out, but it hurt so much. Missing him was something she had become accustomed to lately and she was sick of it. Coming back to Hogwarts had been scary because she hadn't known what to expect. On her first day back all of those things had just happened so quickly at once and it was making Luna dizzy.

The reason she wanted to come back so much was because this was her home. Or so she thought.

Hogwarts wasn't her home. Her home was wherever the boy she loved was and right now she couldn't find him.


	26. Parents

_027. Parents _

An entire month had gone by without Luna speaking a single syllable to Fred. She had initially thought it would be hard, but it surprisingly wasn't. He had tried several times to stop her in the hallway to try and apologize but she continued walking no matter what. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of her breaking so easily.

Most of her time was spent studying or doing homework, but the small instances when she had some time off she would spend time with Ginny. With all the free time she had that was usually occupied with Fred was now filled with Ginny and Luna couldn't be happier. Ginny didn't know the exact circumstances in which Luna and Fred called it off for good, but she was a great support force.

It was obvious that Ginny could never replace Fred. Even though Luna was mad at him she still loved him and there was no doubt in her mind that they would be back to being best friends. It was hard to say when they would _become_ friends again though. When they had made up the first time things just didn't seem right between them. Who knew how things would turn out this time.

"I think I finally finished that Potions essay," Ginny said as she sat down across from Luna at a table in the library. "It took me three hours, but it's finished."

"That's good," Luna said airily as her eyes drifted across the room. "It's getting late. We should head back to our common rooms."

"Good idea," Ginny said.

The pair stood up and gathered their things before leaving the library and walking through the halls. Things with Ginny were simple. Luna didn't open up to her about her innermost thoughts and she could tell Ginny did the same with her. If they became friends like that then there was no doubt in her mind that things would turn badly like it had with Fred.

Soon they came to a crossroad in their path and Ginny and Luna bid each other good night as they each headed to their respective common rooms. Luna was about halfway to Ravenclaw Tower when she heard someone walking behind her.

Turning around, Luna saw George Weasley walking toward her. She was surprised to say the least. In all honesty she thought it would be Fred walking toward her with another attempted apology. She had never given much thought to George before, he was just Fred's twin brother to her and she preferred it that way.

"He's miserable," George said bluntly when he reached Luna.

"Good," Luna shrugged. "Is that all?"

"Luna, listen," George said seriously. "He sent a letter to our parents for advice on how to apologize."

Luna tilted her head to the side and tried to take in this information. Fred didn't seem like the person to ask his parents for advice. He also didn't seem like the person to just ignore her.

"He didn't ask me for advice," George continued. "He hasn't even told me what happened between the two of you. Ever since he started being friends with you he rarely tells me anything. When I asked him why he said it was because he had already told you. Fred really cares about you, Luna. Just hear him out the next time he apologizes."

It was weird seeing one half of the Weasley twins being so serious. Luna had seen Fred serious before, but to see George this serious was just downright bizarre. When it came to George she had always accompanied him with sniggering.

"All right," Luna said slowly.

George gave a shrug and then looked over his shoulder and gave a waving motion. Seconds later Fred came out from behind a tapestry and Luna felt her heart drop. She didn't expect his next apology to come so quickly. George left the two of them alone and Luna suddenly felt even more nervous. She at least expected there to be a witness around.

"Did you actually send a letter to your parents for advice?" Luna asked.

"Well, yeah," Fred said, looking taken aback that she was actually speaking to him. "Don't you do that when you need advice?"

"No," Luna lied.

She had sent her father numerous letters in plea for advice, but he rarely answered them. Fred's parents seemed nice though.

"So, I'm sorry," Fred started. "I acted like a complete git. Angelina won't even talk to me after what happened. I miss you a lot, Luna. Being angry like that wasn't the right thing to do. You couldn't help if you saw things that anyone could have seen. I was wrong for lashing out on you, I've just been… confused lately."

A long pause stretched out between the two of them and Luna let out a long breath.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," Fred shrugged as he scratched the back of his neck. "Mum said not to expect a direct acceptance or decline to the apology, so I'll let you sleep on it."

"I decline," Luna said simply.

Fred went from looking hopeful to confused in a split second. It was easy for Luna to see that the apology was something he had rehearsed again and again with much guidance from other people. She wanted him to apologize in his own way, with his own words. More than anything she wanted him to apologize when he was actually sorry.

"Um, are you sure?" Fred asked meekly.

"Positive," Luna said, giving a sharp nod. "Come back when you have a real apology."

Luna then turned on her heel and continued walking toward Ravenclaw Tower again. There was no doubt in her mind that if she accepted that bland apology they would be empty friends all over again. She missed him terribly, but if he went to his parents for advice there was no way she could forgive him. He needed to apologize in his own words.

But even if he did Luna wasn't sure if it would be enough for her to take him back.


	27. Star

_046. Star_

Astronomy was without a doubt Luna's favorite subject. Identifying stars and planets was just so absolute. There was no theory to it, she didn't have to solve complicated equations, and there wasn't even a need for her to take her wand out from behind her ear. There was only one answer and she just had to find it.

If only life was as easy as Astronomy. Being a star would be an interesting and long life. She wouldn't have to undergo best friends leaving her and not talking to her for another month.

It was now March and the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match had ended in Gryffindor House's victory, much to Luna's dismay. Honestly she wanted Ravenclaw to beat them so she could give gloating looks to Fred in the hallways.

Adjusting her telescope, Luna started to map out several constellations when Ginny nudged her in the side.

"How are you this good?" Ginny asked as her eyes shifted toward Luna's parchment. "It all just looks like a mass of stars to me."

"You just have to know what you're looking for," Luna shrugged.

Ginny gave a slow nod before pouring over her Astronomy book and peering back into her telescope. Luna was able to finish ahead of the class so she decided to assist Ginny who kept groaning in frustration.

"Can't you just do this for me, Luna?" Ginny asked as she got out her seventh new piece of parchment.

"Wouldn't that be cheating?" Luna asked with a perked eyebrow. "I'll help you. What I do is just look for one star and try to connect it to other stars until I have the right constellation. Just make sure the first star you use is actually a part of the constellation."

This obviously didn't make any sense to Ginny, so Luna spent a good 10 minutes mapping out the first few stars of every constellation for her. Once she was finished class was already over and they were told to turn in their work.

"Well, at least I have some of it done," Ginny sighed as she handed her star chart to Professor Sinistra.

"Yeah, what I did for you," Luna said, handing her chart in as well.

Ginny gave a soft laugh as the two girls walked down the Astronomy Tower steps together. Astronomy classes took place at midnight for the best view of the stars so the corridors were empty except for all of the second years making their way to their common rooms.

Gryffindor Tower was closer to the Astronomy Tower than Ravenclaw Tower so Luna had to bid goodnight to Ginny soon after they descended the stairs. Since Luna had spent some time talking to Ginny she was far behind her fellow Ravenclaws on the journey back to the common room. She didn't mind though. The entire castle was mapped out perfectly in her mind so it wouldn't take her long to reach the common room.

The thing she was worried about was Sirius Black. The night of the Quidditch match Sirius Black had apparently broken into a dormitory at Gryffindor House and he had a knife on him. The only damage was a couple of slashes on some curtains, but it was enough for Luna to realize that he was probably on Hogwarts grounds.

Luna was only a few minutes from Ravenclaw Tower when a familiar face came peeking out from behind a corner and smiled to see that it was her.

"I knew you would be last, you usually are," Fred said as he started to walk in step with Luna. "How was Astronomy?"

"Oh, very exciting, we learned about star constellations," Luna said sharply as she quickened her pace. "Did you know that stars are only hot balls of gas? Sound familiar?"

"Listen, Luna," Fred said as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop walking. "I can't even remember what we're fighting about. I'm sorry for what I did."

Having avoided eye contact for the entire time, Luna finally looked into his eyes and knew that he would like nothing more than for her to accept the apology. It wasn't what she was looking for though. She wasn't looking for an apology; she was looking for an explanation. An explanation of why he had been treating her so differently lately.

"I can't accept your apology," Luna said, breaking the eye contact.

Fred looked at her dumbfounded before shaking his head and letting out an agitated sigh.

"What do I need to do?" he asked.

"You should know," Luna said simply.

"You are so frustrating!" he exclaimed as he threw his hands in the hand.

"I'm frustrating?" Luna asked, feeling anger bubble up inside of her. "You can't even put together a decent explanation. You think I'm so shallow that I'll just accept anything and everything that you say. I thought you were supposed to be my friend, but you can't even explain your strange behavior around me."

"Luna, please-," Fred started.

"No!" Luna exclaimed. "I'm done with you Fred. I can't take it any-."

Before she could get another breath out Fred had grabbed her face in his hands and placed his lips on hers. It was all very quiet and Luna couldn't even begin to understand what was happening. Her eyes were wide open but stars still danced in front of them. It seemed like hours until Luna pushed against his chest and brought her hand up to her lips.

"That wasn't very nice," Luna said softly.

Looking at Fred it was easy to see that the kiss had come just as suddenly for him as it had for her. He looked absolutely shocked as he backed away slowly from Luna before turning around and darting off toward Gryffindor Tower. Anger didn't even seem like a proper emotion, the only one she could muster was just pure shock.

She had just been kissed by the only person she would ever want to be kissed by and she couldn't even be happy about it.


	28. Thunder

_069. Thunder_

It had only taken one week for Luna to seriously consider leaving Hogwarts forever and never looking back. Exactly one week ago she had been kissed for the very first time by the boy she loved and no happiness or excitement had weaseled its way into her body. Before Fred had been approaching her in the hallways every day to try and apologize and now he was avoiding her like the plague.

This year was not going well at all. Her classes were fine, she was able to make small talk with a few of her roommates, and Sirius Black attacks were slowly becoming a thing of the past. Those were the only upsides though. She hadn't had a real conversation with Fred since November and she missed him terribly.

Mid-March meant that all of their core lessons were slowly coming to a close and that review was going to start for the final exams in June. This also meant that summer was a lot closer than she had anticipated. The least she wanted was for her and Fred to act civilized toward each other.

Civilized so that he wouldn't run away from her whenever he saw her.

After classes Luna had been looking forward to taking a walk outside to clear her head when she noticed that it was storming. Instead of heading toward Ravenclaw Tower Luna headed for the Astronomy Tower instead. It was very likely that no one would be up there because of the storm and alone time and fresh air were just what she needed.

As soon as she opened the heavy doors to the tower she knew she had made a mistake. Fred was leaning against the railing and getting soaked in the process by the falling rain. Thunder clapped in the background so Luna surmised that he hadn't heard her.

Slowly Luna walked toward him and leant against the railing next to him. He turned his head to see who had joined him when he saw that it was her. Without wasting any time he promptly turned around and started to walk quickly toward the doors.

Luna dashed after him and grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving.

"Fred, we need to talk," Luna said.

"I can't hear you," Fred shouted. "I can't hear over the thunder!"

"That's a terrible excuse and you know it!" Luna yelled back at him. "Please, talk to me. I want my best friend back!"

Fred finally stopped struggling and turned around to face her completely. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. It also appeared that personal grooming had been forgotten over the past week as well.

"Talk to me," Luna said, taking one of his hands in hers. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Thunder," Fred said again, this time breaking the eye contact. "I can't hear you, we should do this later."

Taking his hand from hers, Fred started to walk toward the door, but this time Luna was ready. She moved toward him again but this time wrapped her arms around his abdomen.

"Fred, please," she said softly.

He tensed visibly and didn't turn around but Luna heard him exhale slowly.

"I've been trying to avoid you so I wouldn't ruin our relationship," Fred said.

"How would you ruin it?" Luna asked.

"By showing my feelings for you," Fred explained as he turned around.

Fred placed his hands on her elbows as she repositioned her arms to be around his lower back. There was no way she was letting him run. Not when she had him this close to a confession.

"I like you, Luna," he said, giving a little smile as he said the words. "Kissing you was completely on impulse. I don't even know where it came from."

"Did you want to kiss me?" Luna asked slowly.

"No," he said, giving a small shake of his head. "Not now. Not when you're only twelve."

"Thirteen," Luna corrected.

"What?" he asked.

"January 15th, my birthday," Luna said. "We weren't really talking back then."

Nodding his head in understanding, Fred wrapped his arms around Luna and pulled her close to him. Resting his chin on her head, he released what seemed to be the hundredth breath of air.

"When you're older I have every intention of kissing you," he said, happy that she couldn't see his face. "But right now I just want to be your friend. I feel like-."

"We're best that way?" Luna finished as she released herself from his arms and looked up at his blushing face. "I think so too."

Fred gave a grin of relief.

"So, back to being best friends?" he asked.

"You got it," Luna nodded with a smile.

The two continued to look at each other with smiles on their faces until there was another burst of thunder and Luna jumped about ten feet off the ground. Fred laughed and wrapped an arm across her shoulders as they walked to the doors leading to the stairs.

"I'll walk you back to your common room," Fred said as they began walking down the stairs.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Luna said truthfully as she followed him down the stone steps.

Sure she wasn't going to be Mrs. Fred Weasley anytime soon, but she really didn't mind. She was just happy they were back to normal again. Even though they were never exactly normal to begin with.

"So, what about Angelina?" Luna asked as they descended the last few steps leading to the bottom.

"What?" Fred asked as he turned around to face her and stumbling on the steps in the process.

Luckily he was able to maintain his balance and land safely on the last step. Luna laughed and joined him on the bottom step.

"You like her," Luna said simply.

"Well, yeah," Fred said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "You know a normal girl would be jealous that I like another girl."

"Being normal never appealed to me," Luna shrugged as she opened the door leading to the hallway.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Fred mumbled as he followed her.


	29. Where?

_078. Where?_

"Where exactly are we going?" Luna asked as she stumbled across the uneven forest floor closely behind Fred.

"It's a secret," Fred replied with a laugh as he took Luna's hand and helped her follow him.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Luna questioned. "It's the middle of the night, we're in the Forbidden Forest, and Sirius Black is on the loose. This isn't exactly the best idea for a night out."

"Oh and where is Sirius Black going to attack us from?" Fred joked.

Luna opened her mouth to give a witty remark only to close it again after realizing she didn't have one. It was roughly three o'clock in the morning and Luna had only agreed to this terrible plan because technically it was Fred's birthday. He was officially 16 years-old now making Luna feel like a small child at only 13.

Still holding on to her hand, Fred continued to walk through the forest until he came to an abrupt halt. Luna tripped over her own feet because of his sudden stop and she clung to the back of his t-shirt for balance.

"What is it?" Luna asked, peering around him. "Where are we?"

"Look," Fred said, outstretching his arm and pointing to a blurry object in the distance.

Clutching to his t-shirt even tighter, Luna positioned herself at Fred's side and saw a massive black dog making its way toward them. Before Luna could start running the other way in total fear, Fred moved toward the dog and proceeded to scratch its stomach until it collapsed on the forest ground.

"He's a stray," Fred explained as he crouched down next to the dog. "At first I thought it was Fang, Hagrid's dog, but he's not."

"He?" Luna asked as she cautiously walked toward them. "How do you know it's a boy dog?"

"Well, you just have to know where to look I suppose," Fred said, scratching the back of his neck.

The dog then gave out an almost laugh like bark which then caused Luna to jump back even farther from Fred and the dog. Shaking her head quickly, Luna turned on her heel and started to march back the way they came.

"Luna, where are you going?" Fred asked as he stood up and walked after her with the dog following closely behind him.

"Back to the castle," Luna said shortly, wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't want to get killed by Sirius Black just so you can pet a dog."

Fred gave a loud laugh and the dog barked again.

"Come on, Lu," he said, walking toward her and taking her hand again. "He's a really nice dog. I think you'll like him."

Normally she would have protested and marched right back toward the castle without a second thought, but he had just called her "Lu". Fred had just given her a nickname that didn't make her feel like an outcast. Smiling softly, Luna walked toward the dog and placed her hand on his head before scratching behind his ears.

"Where did he come from?" Luna asked, looking back at Fred.

"Dunno," Fred said with a casual shrug as he sat down next to Luna on the forest floor. "When we weren't talking I used to come out here and one night I found him. I've never seen him during the day."

Giving a small nod, Luna continued to scratch the dog behind the ears before looking into his dark eyes. There was something strange about the dog's eyes, they were almost human.

"If I knew you didn't like dogs I wouldn't have brought you," Fred explained, moving closer to her and putting a hand on the back of her neck.

"I don't mind," Luna said, feeling her face heat up. "Happy birthday, Fred."

"Thanks," he said, weaving his hand through Luna's hair.

"So, what do you call him?" Luna asked, trying to keep her voice from stumbling.

"Snuffles," Fred shrugged.

Luna let out a giggle and Snuffles barked at her playfully. She smiled and continued to pet him. Even though her memories of dogs were far from fond she liked Snuffles. He seemed to be smarter and kinder than any other dog she had come upon.

"Where did you come up with a name like that?" Luna asked.

"It was written on a piece of parchment he was carrying when I found him," Fred shrugged, slowly moving his face toward hers. "He seems to like it well enough."

"I suppose," Luna said softly as she recoiled her hand from Snuffles and placed it on Fred's shoulder.

The two sat there just inches apart with Snuffles sitting in front of them. Luna tentatively looked into Fred's brown eyes and felt her heart start to hammer in her chest. He moved closer to her and tilted his head to the side. Their noses were just brushing when Luna quickly turned her head away and stood up abruptly.

"Well, this has been fun," she said, placing a hand to her burning face. "It was nice to meet you, Snuffles. Fred we should be heading back."

"Yeah," Fred said slowly as he too stood up. "See ya, Snuffles."

Snuffles gave a friendly bark before turning around and heading back the way he came.

"I wonder where he goes," Luna said softly as she watched him disappear from sight.

"Who knows," Fred said grudgingly as he took Luna's hand and started to pull her through the forest.

"What's wrong?" Luna asked.

"Nothing," Fred shrugged.

There was obviously something wrong, but Luna chose not to address it. After walking through the forest for about half an hour they finally made their way back on to the grounds and toward the castle. Fred's hand was still coiled around hers when they entered the castle and Luna suddenly realized why he was upset.

She had rejected him in the forest. There was no way she would let him kiss her in front of Snuffles, especially when Snuffles had been looking so sly.

Soon they were at Ravenclaw Tower and Fred was saying goodnight when Luna stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his cheek.

"Happy birthday, Fred," Luna said before smiling at him and walking up the stairs to her common room.


	30. Shade

_075. Shade_

It was uncharacteristically hot outside that evening after the big Quidditch final of Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Gryffindor had won the match and the house cup, leading to an extremely loud celebration in the Gryffindor common room. The month had just changed to May and it was hard to believe that the school year was going to be over in barely over a month.

Luna was sitting outside in the heat under a large tree next to the lake in need of shade from the last rays of the sun. The latest edition of _The_ _Quibbler _was across her lap and she was reading an article on Iddly Wimps. The past month had been the best month of school she had ever had. Things were great with her school work and even better with Fred.

Thanks to their new mutual "friend", Snuffles, they had made excuses to go into the forest with each other late at night to visit him. Luna had taken an unexpected liking to the dog and found herself enjoying the hours they spent in the forest. It was nice to get away from everything every once and a while.

Curfew was about to pass so Luna gathered her things and headed out of the shade as she walked back toward the castle. Halfway there she was met by Fred who was grinning broadly at her.

"Congratulations on the match," Luna said when he approached her.

"Yeah, thanks," he said as his grin became even wider. "Want to head to the forest to visit our friend?"

"Sure," Luna agreed.

Smiling, Fred took Luna's hand and the two headed toward the forest. They walked in silence, but neither of them minded. The company was enough for them. Luna was a bit surprised that Fred wasn't replaying all of the exciting things that had happened during the match that day. Maybe he had finally realized that Luna didn't really care that much about Quidditch.

When they reached the trees and were covered with shade Fred dropped Luna's hand and looked at her.

"I need to talk to you," he said seriously.

"Um, all right," Luna said.

"Well, summer is getting really close and I was wondering if you would like to spend some time with me," he said. "Just the two of us."

Luna nodded slowly. For such a light topic he sure did seem nervous to bring it up. Sensing that he wasn't done, Luna didn't say anything else. He was about to continue when she noticed a large black dog making its way toward them.

"Oh, Snuffles!" Luna exclaimed as she walked around Fred and approached the dog.

Snuffles wagged his tail in greeting before walking over to Fred. Grinning, Fred rested his hand on the dog's head, but turned back to Luna.

"I just want to spend as much time with you as possible," he continued. "This year hasn't exactly been the best for us and I want to make it up to you this summer."

"I want to spend time with you too," Luna said truthfully. "Most of the summer I'll be with my father though. We go on excursions to look for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack and other exotic creatures. Usually we leave right after I get home from school, but I'll have some free time at the end of August."

"Right," Fred said, giving a disappointed nod. "Crumple-Horned Snorkack hunting, I forgot about that."

"Are you going to the Quidditch World Cup?" she asked. "It's August-."

"August 22nd," Fred finished for her. "Probably not. There's no way we'll get tickets."

"Well, if you do manage to get tickets, come find me, okay?" Luna said, smiling at him.

"You're going?" Fred asked, looking skeptical. "I thought you hated Quidditch."

"I do, but dad loves it," Luna shrugged.

Fred nodded and looked to Snuffles who had been sitting and staring at them the entire time. Luna sat down next to the massive dog and scratched him behind the ears.

"Do you think someday he'll go back to where he came from?" Luna asked.

"Maybe," Fred shrugged, sitting on the opposite side of Snuffles.

The next few minutes were in silence as Luna and Fred petted Snuffles and the sun slowly went down. Now the entire grounds were covered in darkness. Fred abruptly stood up and grabbed Luna's hand to pull her up as well.

"We should head back," he said.

"Good idea," Luna agreed. "Bye Snuffles."

The dog barked in goodbye before trotting back into the forest. Fred and Luna then started to head back toward the castle.

"I think it's only a matter of time before we get detention for always sneaking around," Luna said as they walked through the entrance hall.

"Detention isn't that bad," Fred said laughingly as they continued to walk. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit," Luna said.

"Follow me," Fred said grinning.

Instead of heading up the stairs to go to Ravenclaw Tower, Fred led Luna to the stairs going downstairs to the basement. Trusting him completely, Luna didn't question what he was doing as they continued silently through the halls. Finally they reached a large painting of a bowl of fruit.

"Do you know what's so special about this painting?" Fred asked, turning to Luna.

"Other than the terrible shading done on the grapes?" Luna pondered as she wrinkled her nose at it.

"You paint?" Fred asked.

"I've dabbled," Luna said nonchalantly.

Giving a shrug, Fred outstretched his arm and tickled the pear painted in the portrait. The pear then turned into a knob and Fred opened the portrait to reveal hundreds of house-elves scurrying around a very large and impressive kitchen.

The two entered the portrait hole and were immediately bombarded by house-elves asking if they wanted anything to eat. Soon the two were sitting down at a small table to the side eating pudding.

"How do you find out about all of these places in the school?" Luna asked.

"Well, when George and I get bored we tend to… wander," Fred shrugged.

Giggling, Luna took another bite of pudding as she realized that there were still so many secrets she didn't quite know about Fred Weasley.


	31. School

_088. School_

The school year was finally coming to a close. It was June and Luna had just finished her last final exam which had been easier than she had anticipated. On her way to Ravenclaw Tower she was stopped by Ginny.

"Hey, do you mind talking to me for a bit?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I was going to meet Fred after dropping off my bag at my dorm," Luna said.

"Oh, come on," Ginny said with an eye roll. "He won't miss you too much. It will only take a second."

"If you insist," Luna shrugged as Ginny took her hand.

Being pulled through a thick throng of students wasn't exactly Luna's favorite way to celebrate the end of finals, but she coped with it. Finally the pair made their way outside and to the bridge that connected the castle and part of the grounds.

"What did he say for things to be okay with you two again?" Ginny asked, folding her arms across her chest. "Because if he gave you some stupid excuse I might have to hit him."

"We just missed each other, that's all," Luna said, trying desperately to sound nonchalant. "He explained to me why he was acting so oddly and I believe him. We're fine now, so there will be no need for hitting."

Still looking skeptical, Ginny gave a slow nod before turning her head sharply in the other direction. Luna followed her gaze and saw Fred walking toward them. He smiled and waved at Luna, but soon stopped when he noticed that Ginny was there and not looking too happy.

"Hello ladies," Fred said, grinning nervously.

"Hey Fred," Ginny said, glaring at him before turning back to Luna and smiling. "I'm going to head back to the castle. Will you be okay?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Luna said.

Ginny nodded cheerfully at Luna before turning to Fred again to jab him in the side with her index finger. Once Ginny was clearly out of sight Fred turned to Luna.

"She's absolutely mad," he said, shaking his head.

"No, I don't think she is," Luna said simply.

Fred smiled at her before gesturing over his shoulder to walk back toward the castle. Luna stepped off of the bridge and followed Fred across the grounds. They walked in comfortable silence before Fred stopped and turned to look at her.

"What did Ginny talk to you about?" he asked.

"School," Luna lied with a shrug. "She wanted to know how I did on my last final."

"Oh, well how did you do?" he asked.

"I found it fairly simple," Luna said dreamily. "Have you finished your O.W.L.s?"

"All done," Fred said proudly. "I think I managed at least two, maybe even three."

Luna rolled her eyes as they continued to walk across the grounds. They talked for a while about school which seemed to be the only thing they had never talked about before. For once it didn't matter that he was older than her; it seemed so easy to mention that she had been worried about her Potions final. It also seemed that he didn't really care about the age difference either in that moment.

Curfew was slowly creeping up on them so Fred suggested that they head back to the school.

"Wait a moment," Luna said, holding up a finger. "Fred Weasley wants to make sure he doesn't miss curfew?"

"Correction, I want to make sure _you _don't miss curfew," Fred said, grinning.

Giving him a skeptical look, the two started to head back to the castle when three figures started walking toward the bridge. Quickly Fred grabbed Luna and the two dodged behind a tree. Poking her head out, Luna could make out Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger starting to walk quickly across the bridge.

"It sure looks as if they don't care about curfew," Luna commented.

"Yeah, they're probably off to visit Hagrid," Fred said, getting out from behind the tree.

"The gamekeeper?" Luna questioned.

"They're good friends with him," Fred explained. "They're probably going to comfort him because of his Hippogriff being executed this evening."

"Well, that's nice of them," Luna said approvingly. "Shall we go on then?"

Fred nodded and the two continued on toward the school again. It wasn't even five minutes until two other figures started to make their way toward them.

"Oh, what now?" Fred groaned as he grabbed Luna's arm and pulled her behind another tree.

This time they didn't get good looks at the people but their voices were recognizable. Well, recognizable to Fred, not Luna.

"That can't be," Fred said, shaking his head as he looked around to see the source of the voices, but they were already gone. "That sounded just like Hermione and Harry."

"Didn't they just pass though?" Luna asked. "With your brother?"

"I thought so," Fred said. "Who knows, too much strange stuff happens at this school."

"Maybe it was a creature that could copy human voices," Luna said excitedly as her eyes lit up with. "We should investigate!"

"Next time," Fred laughed as he took Luna's hand in his. "We should just head back up to school."

Sighing, Luna started to follow Fred's lead back to the castle. They weren't even halfway there when Luna spotted a familiar black dog walking toward the Whomping Willow.

"Is that Snuffles?" she asked, stopping abruptly and pointing in the direction of the tree.

Fred looked over her head toward the tree and saw the black dog prowling around it. There was no way it was Fang, so it must have been Snuffles.

"Yeah, it's him," Fred said. "I would go over there, but he's right next to the Whomping Willow. I'd rather lose an ear than go near that thing."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about losing an ear," Luna said laughingly as she began walking back toward the castle. "Do you think we can stop by the kitchen since we missed dinner?"

"Whatever you want," Fred said, positioning an arm across Luna's shoulders.


	32. Triangles

_042. Triangles_

It was that time of year again. Summer had finally come and the castle was filled with excited students traveling to the entrance hall with their trunks in tow. Except for Luna.

Luna Lovegood was currently in her dorm looking around frantically for the last thing she needed to pack. Even though last year Fred had told off her roommates for stealing and hiding her things they had picked the habit back up again this year. Since the majority of the year was spent not talking to Fred she hadn't been able to tell him this.

So there she was in her practically empty dorm searching for the most important thing she had packed this year. It was arguably even more important than her wand and she had lost it. About to give up and try again next year Luna closed her trunk and opened her dorm door when she heard someone shouting at her from the bottom of the stairs.

"Luna!" Fred's voice called. "Are you up there?"

"I'm coming down now!" she called back to him as she exited her dorm and started down the stairs.

Once she reached him in the common room she gave him a smile and started to walk toward the door when he put a firm hand on her shoulder to stop her. Turning around, Luna gave him a questionable look.

"Why are you so late?" he asked.

"I was looking for something," she said with a carefree shrug of her shoulders.

"Did you find it?" he questioned.

"Um, yes," Luna said meekly before turning around again to avoid eye contact.

Fred sighed and walked in front of her. Placing his hands on her shoulders he looked her directly in the eyes.

"You've always been a terrible liar," he said, shaking his head. "Did your roommates hide your things from you again?"

"No," Luna said. "I just lost something. Something important."

"I'll help you look," Fred offered as he walked toward the steps to the girls' dormitory before stopping. "Actually I can't. It's impossible for me to enter the girls' dormitory. What did you lose exactly?"

"My mother's necklace," Luna said, trying to make it sound like no big deal. "It's a silver chain with a triangle hanging from it. She wore it every day and I packed it so it would still feel like she was close to me, but I lost it and-."

Before she could get another word out Fred placed a finger to her lips and shook his head. Reaching into his pants' pocket he pulled out his wand and raised it in the air.

"_Accio Luna's necklace_," he said in a clear voice.

Seconds later her mother's necklace came soaring down the steps and landed gracefully into Luna's hands. As soon as the necklace was safely in her grasp she squeezed her hands around it tightly before looking up at Fred and smiling.

"Summoning charm," Fred shrugged, putting his wand back in his pocket. "You learn how to do it in your fourth year."

"Thank you," Luna said as she wrapped her arms around Fred's middle. "I honestly don't know what I would have told my dad."

"It wasn't a problem," Fred said, wrapping his arms around Luna in return. "Let's head to the carriages."

Nodding, Luna opened her trunk again and was about to put the necklace in it when Fred clasped his hand over hers to stop her. Luna looked up at him with a perked eyebrow and Fred just outstretched his hand to her.

"Can I see the necklace for a second?" he asked.

"Well, all right," Luna said, placing it into his hand. "You did retrieve it after all."

Fred picked up the chain and held the necklace in front of him. On a thin silver chain was a silver framed triangle pendant with several small sapphire jewels inside of it clustered together.

"It's… nice," Fred said, giving a nod. "I don't exactly have an eye for this sort of thing."

"I can tell," Luna giggled.

"Why do you never wear it?" he asked.

"I don't think it suits me much," Luna said, giving a shrug.

Looking at Luna and then back to the necklace, Fred gave her his trademark grin before undoing the clasp on the chain.

"Turn around," he said.

"What?" Luna asked.

"Trust me," Fred said sternly.

Luna looked up at him to see if he was joking, but it appeared to be that he was serious. She turned around and immediately sensed him walking toward her. Next she felt him moving her long hair to the side and draping it over one of her shoulders.

It was a little unbearable how close he was to her, but she didn't flinch or run away. Soon he put the necklace around her neck and clasped the back. The triangle pendant rested cozily in the middle of her chest and she was about to turn around to propose they hurry on to the carriages when he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Wait just a moment," Fred said.

His voice was filled with emotions she had never heard from him before. It was need, desire, and a lot of other things just mixed in there. Luna's heart started to flutter rapidly in her chest as she closed her eyes and bit her lip.

Seconds later she felt his lips on the back of her neck where the clasp of the necklace rested. He tangled his fingers through her hair on one side of her neck and kissed the other side right on her pulse point. Then he recoiled completely from her.

Luna slowly turned around and looked up at him. She knew her face was probably a violent red in comparison to his. His face was tinted a light pink and he looked embarrassed with himself.

"It does suit you," Fred said after a long silence. "Your mum's necklace, it looks nice."

"Oh, um, thank you," Luna said as her hand flew to the triangle pendant. "We really need to go. I'd be surprised if they hadn't already left without us."

Giving an awkward laugh, Fred nodded in agreement and stooped down to pick up Luna's trunk. The two then exited the Ravenclaw common room feeling more embarrassed and enamored than ever.


	33. Colorless

_020. Colorless _

Summer was quickly coming to a close. With only a little over a week left many families had made their way to the Quidditch World Cup to watch the match between Bulgaria and Ireland. Ireland won in the end, much to Luna and her father's happiness, and it was right after the game that the cries of celebration turned to those of terror.

Pulling back the flap of the tent she was sharing with her father, Luna was immediately brought into the sights and sounds of the nightmare happening at the camp grounds. Fire was burning all around her and people were screaming and running toward the woods to look for some sort of solace. Luna turned on her heel quickly and saw her father for only a quick second before he started ushering her out of the tent.

"Dad what's going on?" she asked desperately as they struggled to push through the crowd of people.

"I'll explain later," Xenophilius said, taking Luna's elbow and directing her to the edge of the crowd. "Luna, dear, please listen to me. Go into the woods with the rest of these people. I have to help."

"No, Dad, don't leave me," Luna said, clutching on to the sleeve of his robes.

"We'll meet up later, I promise," he said, kissing the top of her head before pushing her into the thinning crowd of people.

Luna couldn't even muster another syllable toward her father as he moved toward a group of other grown wizards and she was moved along toward the woods. Worry and fright consumed her completely, but she followed her father's orders.

It was as if everything around her was moving in colorless slow-motion. People were terrified as they met up with loved ones and headed toward the woods. Masked figures were levitating a family of Muggles over their heads in a disgusting manner.

If one of those masked people came after her who would save her? Her father was bravely going to fight against them, but by doing that he was leaving her all alone in the process. Even though she was in the middle of a group of people she had never felt so alone and the world had never been so deprived of its color.

Soon, Luna was able to break out of the tight group of people when they finally hit the woods. She immediately separated herself from them, but kept them in sight as she walked deeper into the woods, cold and alone.

The summer had been going well so far. She hadn't seen Fred at all, but they had exchanged copious amounts of letters over the summer. In her letters she had asked him if he had changed at all. His reply was that other than his hair getting a bit longer he was just the same. This was comforting, but the thought of his hair getting _even _longerwasn't exactly the best thought.

In return he had naturally asked her if she had changed at all. She replied with a simple "no", but the more she looked at herself in the mirror the more she saw a difference. It was embarrassing to admit, even to herself, but she had gotten a little… curvier? Was that the word?

While walking through the woods and contemplating these changes Luna didn't notice a pair of masked figures walking not too far away from her. The group of people she had been trying to stay close to was nowhere in sight and Luna could practically feel the color drain from her face.

Taking her wand from behind her ear, she was ready to defend herself (even though she barely knew any magic to do that) when a hand clamped over her mouth from behind and she was pulled into a thicket of bushes. Panicking, Luna swatted her arms at her attacker only to have a familiar voice reach her ears.

"Luna, Luna, calm down!" Fred said in a hushed whisper as he tried to stop her from flailing.

Luna calmed down and turned her head quickly to see Fred Weasley looking at her. He looked absolutely terrified and even paler than usual. Despite this she had honestly never felt happier.

"Fred," she said breathlessly and even giving a small smile. "I'm so-."

"Shh," he hushed, pressing a few of his fingers to her lips. "The Death Eaters might hear us."

Nodding her head in understanding, Luna turned her head and peered through the bushes to see the masked figures walking in the opposite direction of them. Only when they were out of sight did Luna notice how close in proximity she was to Fred. He seemed to notice as well since he quickly moved away from her.

"What are Death Eaters?" Luna asked.

"You-Know-Who's old followers," Fred said, standing up and helping Luna to her feet as well.

"Well that explains why they were terrorizing those Muggles," Luna said as they walked back to the main part of the woods. "Your hair looks terrible by the way."

"You don't like it?" he asked, running a hand through it for good measure. "Well, my hair is the least of our worries right now. Why the bloody hell were you out here all by yourself? Where's your dad?"

"Off with another group of wizards trying to stop the Death Eaters," she said defiantly. "Where's _your _family?"

"I told them to go on ahead when I saw you alone and being trailed by two Death Eaters," he said through gritted teeth. "Walk in front of me. I've got your back."

Luna gave a nod and started to walk through the forest. With the recent fire that had spread throughout it the appearance was overall lacking in color. Now that Fred was protecting her though it seemed like some of that color had been restored.

Smiling despite the terrible situation they were in, Luna looked back at Fred over her shoulder. Instead of seeing Fred with his wand out and being cautious he was looking rather interestedly at her. A certain part of her to be exact.

"Are you… Are you looking at my arse?" Luna cried incredulously as she came to a stop.

"What?" Fred asked, snapping out of his daze. "Luna, I would never- wait, did you just say 'arse'?"

"Yes, I did," Luna said, placing her hands on her hips.

Fred stood gaping at her for a minute either trying to think of a retort or an apology. When he failed to produce either Luna turned around and continued to walk, a smile gracing her lips as she did.


	34. Fall

_064. Fall_

Classes had started just a week ago and the student body of Hogwarts was much more excited than usual. This excitement was only present because of the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament taking place at Hogwarts. Everyone was anxiously awaiting the end of October when students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would arrive and more details about the Tournament would be revealed.

Everyone was bubbling with energy these days. Well, everyone except Luna Lovegood.

It was plain to see that the usually spacey and indifferent girl was taking on a grumpy attitude as she walked through the halls of the school. Instead of commenting on cloud shapes or the migration of Gulping Plimpies in the winter time she was commenting on how the Tournament was the worst idea anyone had ever come up with.

"I don't get why you're so angry about this, Luna," Fred said as he walked Luna to her Care of Magical Creatures lesson. "It'll be exciting. Plus it's your third year now. You finally get to go to Hogsmeade!"

"Hooray," Luna said dryly as they approached Hagrid's hut. "I can hardly contain my excitement."

Fred placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he studied her face carefully. Ever since the Triwizard Tournament had been announced Luna had been in a sour mood. He had tried countless times to talk to her about what was bothering her, but she wouldn't open up.

Placing his hands in his pockets, Fred nodded in farewell to Luna and then turned around to walk back to the castle.

Once he was out of sight Luna gave a heavy sigh. The Tournament wasn't exactly the problem; the problem was that Quidditch was being canceled because of it. With no Quidditch and with Fred having copious free periods to lounge around in the Gryffindor common room all day he also had plenty of time to cozy up with Angelina.

Her stomach tightened at the thought of them snuggling together in front of the fire in a big arm chair and-.

"Oh, hey Luna," a familiar voice greeted from behind.

Luna turned around ready to lash out at whoever was talking to her, but came face to face with a smiling Ginny Weasley. What was a scowl on Luna's face soon turned into a soft smile.

"Hello Ginny," Luna said, feeling herself calm down.

There was something about Ginny that just instantly made her feel better. The two didn't exactly have a strong friendship, but the one that they had was complication-free.

As Hagrid began the lesson Luna found herself zoning out completely. Fred spending so much time with Angelina wasn't exactly the only thing that was bothering her. The Triwizard Tournament was supposed to be highly dangerous and Fred seemed very eager to participate.

Even though one had to be at least 17 years-old to enter Fred didn't seem too worried. If he actually found a way to enter and was chosen as champion then there was a possibility he could be injured or killed. The thought of him using his free periods to plan with George and Lee about entering the Tournament was just downright unsettling.

It was even more unsettling than the thought of him cuddling with Angelina in an arm chair.

After a rather dull lesson about flobberworms Luna and Ginny started to head back toward the castle.

"I love the trees this time of year," Ginny pointed out randomly as she looked around the grounds. "Everything just looks so beautiful when it's fall. Don't you agree?"

"I prefer winter, but I suppose fall is just as nice," Luna said. "I do like how the leaves crunch when you step on them."

Ginny laughed as they approached the front entrance of the school.

"Well I have to go to Ancient Runes," Ginny said as she gestured to the corridor opposite them. "I'll see you later, Luna."

"Bye," Luna said as she waved after Ginny.

Before she could even take a step toward the main staircase a hand enclosed around her forearm and she was being spun around on her heel. Losing her balance, Luna felt herself falling for only a fraction of a second before she was caught by a pair of strong arms.

"Sorry," Fred said as he helped Luna stand up straight again. "I didn't think I was being that forceful."

"It's fine," Luna said, feeling her grumpiness slowly start to creep up on her again. "I almost just fell on my face because of you."

Fred automatically closed his mouth again as they stood in the middle of the entrance hall in awkward silence. Luna had her arms folded across her chest defensively and Fred was scratching the back of his neck in a nervous manner.

"Listen, Luna," Fred said carefully. "I don't want us to start fighting. I think we fought enough last year to last a lifetime. I just want to know what's going on in that head of yours."

Luna looked up at him and saw that he truly was trying to be apologetic. She was making him feel guilty because of her assumptions. Even though a part of her wanted him to be with Angelina, a bigger part of her wanted him to steer clear of her for the rest of his life. She wanted nothing more than for him to win the Triwizard winnings and do some good with the money, but she also didn't want him to die because of the Tournament.

An entire turmoil of emotions was bubbling up inside of her and it felt that she might at explode any second.

"I just don't want Angelina to fall for you and I don't want you to die!" Luna shouted.

Apparently that second was now.

Everyone in the entrance hall seemed to be looking at the two of them. Luna immediately panicked and pressed her hand against her mouth while Fred just stared at her looking dumbfounded.

"Wh-What?" he spluttered. "Luna, what are you talki-."

"I'm late for Divination," Luna said quickly.

She then spun on her heel and quickly dashed up the steps, trying desperately to ignore Fred who was calling after her.


	35. Lightning

_068. Lightning _

In all honesty Luna didn't expect him to show up on the Astronomy Tower that night. Firstly it was storming (something that was beginning to seem like a trend lately) and secondly they hadn't exactly had a real conversation since she had yelled at him in the entrance hall. It was about ten minutes till two o'clock and she was about to just give up when the doors to the tower opened and Fred came walking toward her.

She didn't know if she should feel happy or nervous. Deciding on a mixture of both she chose not to say anything as he sat down next to her. Both of them didn't mutter a single syllable and when her watch indicated that it was two o'clock Luna stood up and started to head toward the door.

It was very likely that she would have made it all the way there if a flash of lightning hadn't gone off and she hadn't stumbled backwards in surprise. Coming to the terms that she was going to fall on the stone floor she shut her eyes tightly, but was saved at the last second by a pair of familiar arms.

"I seem to be doing that a lot lately," Fred said as he helped her sit back on the floor of the tower.

He sat down next to her again and Luna felt her chances of escape becoming slim.

"It also seems to be storming as usual," Fred continued. "Why is it almost always storming when we come up here?"

"If you want to ask me about what I said the other day, go ahead," Luna said.

Fighting again wasn't what she wanted to do. She was at fault this time and she was more than capable of apologizing. Looking at Fred she saw him slowly forming the words in his head and she started to dread what he was going to say. After several long moments he turned his head to face her looking awfully nonchalant.

"I get it," he said with a shrug. "You think that entering the Tournament is dangerous and you're just worried about me."

"Exactly," Luna said, trying not to sound too cheerful since it appeared that he wasn't done yet.

"But not wanting Angelina to fall for me is a little… selfish," he said, picking his words carefully. "I mean I get that you're jealous, but-."

"I'm not jealous," Luna said quickly.

Fred looked at her with a questioning look and she felt her face heat up. Actually she was _very _jealous,but admitting that to herself was extremely different than admitting that to him. Just then another flash of lightning went off and Luna instinctively clutched on to his jacket.

"You okay?" Fred asked, placing his hand on the back of her neck.

"Yeah, I'm just not the biggest fan of lightning," Luna said with a shrug.

Nodding, Fred started to idly twist her blonde curls around his fingers as he thought about his next words. Luna was dreading the conclusion of this conversation, but she knew that if they were going to be back to normal then she was going to have to be honest with him.

"I still really like Angelina," he said. "I've always liked her, Luna, and if by some miracle she started to like me back then of course I would jump at the chance. I'm just trying to decide who's… never mind."

"No, what were you going to say?" Luna asked.

"Luna, you know that I…" he started before closing his mouth and rethinking his words. "I need to decide about… It's getting late I should walk you back to Ravenclaw Tower."

"Uh-uh," Luna said, shaking her head and placing her hands firmly on his shoulders. "Spit it out."

Fred started to shake his head and Luna clamped her hands on both sides of his face. Staring straight into his eyes, she tried to use some of her Divination powers to read his thoughts, but she was getting nothing. She should have taken Ancient Runes with Ginny instead…

Pushing her bad scheduling out of her head, Luna started to focus on the subject at hand. It was clear that what Fred was keeping in was very important and due to her natural curiosity Luna was just itching to find out what he was about to say.

"I am jealous of Angelina," Luna admitted. "You get to spend so much time with her and I can't think of why she wouldn't like you back."

Taking Luna's hands off of his face and then holding them in his hands, Fred looked at her and then quickly away. It felt like he was so close to actually saying something that Luna felt that talking would just ruin this moment.

"I like you, Luna," he said. "You're just way too young for me now. When you get older I want to be with you, but what if Angelina starts liking me _now _and I never break up with her. Then I'll never know who I should be with and that just… scares me, dammit. That _really _scares me."

"I'll have you know that I have no intention of going anywhere," Luna said honestly. "I'm fine with us being just like this. I love being your friend, Fred. People want their friends to be happy, right? So if Angelina makes you happy, then that's great."

Even though saying these words was practically tearing her apart inside, Luna continued to put on a smile. It was so hard to say that he should be with someone else when she loved him _so _much.

"We should head back," Luna said.

She was just about to stand up when Fred tightened his hands around hers and kept her in place next to him on the stone floor. He freed one of his hands and used it to brush a piece of her blonde hair out of her face before cupping her chin.

"Fred, what are you doing?" Luna asked as he moved his face toward her.

"Don't worry about it," he murmured before pressing his lips to hers.

The only other time she had been kissed was several months ago, but it felt like lifetimes. There really was no comparison between the two of them. The first had been rude and sudden and terrible. This one was slow and gentle and perfect. It felt like lightning was prickling through her.

When they finally pulled back they just looked at each other feeling completely dumbfounded.

"That was nice," Luna said softly.

"I didn't mean to do that," Fred said quickly looking slightly panicked. "I wanted to – Merlin, I wanted to – just not right-."

"I know it doesn't change anything," Luna said, clamping a hand over his mouth to stop him from rambling. "We're still just friends and that's enough for me."

Well, it was enough for her _now_ anyway.


	36. She

_085. She_

In just a few days students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be arriving at Hogwarts and the Triwizard Tournament would be starting soon. Luna was still worried about Fred entering the Tournament, but didn't mention her worries around him.

All she was allowing herself to worry about was if Angelina had been kissed by Fred like he had kissed her a few weeks ago. That kiss was all she thought about lately and whenever Fred would wave to her in the hallways or smile at her across from the Great Hall she couldn't help but obsess over it.

She knew that he liked her, but she also knew that he liked Angelina. Soon her worries about him dying in a highly dangerous competition were replaced by worries that he was snogging Angelina any chance he got.

There was only one solution she could come up with it. That solution being that she placed a spy in Gryffindor Tower.

"Please tell me you're joking," Ginny said to Luna.

The two girls were sitting outside eating their lunch together. Even though it was cold outside they had decided to go out because no one would be around to listen in on their conversation. It didn't exactly occur to either girl that no one had any interest in what two thirteen year-old girls were talking about.

"I'm not, but I just really need to know, Ginny," Luna said desperately. "I don't want Angelina to break his heart if they start dating. I'm very concerned about my friend."

"Concerned or paranoid?" Ginny asked as she tightened her robes around her. "Can we please go inside to talk about this? It's freezing out here!"

"No," Luna said, frantically shaking her head. "Ginny just snoop around a bit. See if they hold hands or anything."

"Why can't you ask him this yourself?" Ginny questioned.

Luna opened her mouth to give her answer when she closed it again. If she told Ginny the details of why she couldn't ask him then it would complicate their friendship. Right now her relationship was so simple with Ginny that there was no way she could complicate it.

"It's complicated," Luna said simply.

Ginny studied Luna's face for a minute before exhaling loudly.

"Fine," she said, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'll do it."

It was impossible to say that Ginny was expecting the colossal hug Luna gave her. The two girls toppled on to the grass and were laughing seconds later.

"Thank you, Ginny!" Luna cried happily as she sat up.

"Sure, just don't tackle me again," Ginny said with a giggle as she picked grass out of her hair. "Now, can we please go inside?"

Nodding, Luna stood up and Ginny joined her as they walked toward the entrance hall. It was Sunday so classes weren't in session. Ginny left Luna to head into the Great Hall to finish her lunch. Luna on the other hand was heading toward the library to get information to finish her Potions essay.

Today was shaping up to be an exceptional day. Now that Ginny had agreed to keep an eye on Fred and Angelina for her Luna felt as if a weight had been lifted from her chest. As she walked down the hallway she couldn't help but start to add a skip to her step.

Everything was going right for Luna until she spotted a group of Gryffindor girls walking in her direction. Her skipping stopped immediately as she noticed one of the girls was Angelina. Luna tried her best to fade into the background, but the group of girls stopped when they reached her.

"You girls go ahead," Angelina said. "I want to talk to Luna."

The girls said their goodbyes to Angelina before continuing down the hallway.

"Hello Angelina," Luna said simply as she looked up at the older girl.

"Hi Luna," Angelina said, smiling at her. "This is a little embarrassing, but can I ask you something?"

The last thing Luna expected was for Angelina Johnson to ask her something that could be potentially embarrassing. What she expected was for the older girl to chew her out for spending so much time with Fred.

"All right," Luna said slowly.

"I know you're really close to Fred," Angelina said before wringing her hands together. "I just want to know if he's ever talked to you about me."

"I don't think I'm following you," Luna said.

"Well, I _really _like Fred," Angelina said with a soft smile. "Has he ever mentioned that he might possibly like me back?"

Luna felt like she had just been smacked across the face. She was doomed. Any hope of her being with Fred was now going to be fed to Nargles for breakfast. It was clear that Angelina liked Fred as well.

The thing was whether she should lie or tell the truth. Should she be a good friend and say that he was crazy about her? Or should she say that he hadn't shown any interest?

Taking a deep breath Luna met Angelina's eyes with a smile on her face.

"He talks about you nonstop to be honest," Luna said honestly, feeling the words slowly tearing her apart inside. "I think he was beginning to worry that you would never show any interest in him."

"Are you sure?" Angelina asked warily. "Has he directly told you that he likes me?"

"He's been talking about you since my first year," Luna said with a falsely carefree shrug. "I think he was just trying to muster up the courage to ask you out."

Angelina's face immediately lit up and she wrapped her long arms around Luna.

"Thanks, Luna!" she exclaimed happily. "You're the best!"

Before Luna could utter out another syllable Angelina was dashing down the hallway to most likely catch up with her friends. Luna's stomach started to churn and she began blinking back tears. Before anything else she was a friend to Fred. Sometimes she just wished she wasn't such a good one.


	37. Food

_059. Food _

"So you don't think Harry put his name in the Goblet?" Fred asked Luna as they walked across the grounds.

Fred had met her at Hagrid's hut after a Care of Magical Creatures lesson and not unlike everyone else they were talking about the biggest piece of gossip at school. Everyone at school was convinced that Harry Potter had cheated his way into being entered into the Triwizard Tournament. Well, not everyone.

"I just don't know why someone who has had near-death experiences at least once a year would enter the Tournament," Luna said with a shrug. "Do you think he put his name in the Goblet?"

"Not really," Fred said. "I've known Harry for a while and he's not the attention-seeking type."

The two continued up to the castle in silence. After talking to Angelina about Fred nearly two weeks ago Luna had expected them to start dating, but nothing of the sort had happened. Fred and Angelina had the same friendship/teammate relationship they had always had. Ginny had told her that she had never seen them snogging or anything of the sort. It seemed that all they did together was hang out with their friends in the common room or at meal time.

At the thought of meals Luna's stomach gave a soft rumble and Fred looked at her amusedly.

"Hungry?" he asked as they entered the school.

"A bit," Luna admitted. "I skipped lunch today to finish my charts for Astronomy."

"Well, dinner isn't for a few more hours," Fred said. "Want to stop by the kitchen?"

"Sure," Luna nodded.

Luna followed Fred down the staircase leading to the basement where the kitchen was. It wasn't an everyday occurrence that they headed done there, but it was slowly turning into every week. The house-elves who worked there already knew Luna's name and her love for pudding.

Once they entered the kitchen a house-elf came over to the couple and ushered them to their usual corner table.

"Pudding, Miss Lovegood?" the elf squeaked.

"Yes, please," Luna said as she sat down.

"And for you, Master Weasley?" the elf asked, turning to Fred.

"Same," Fred replied as he sat across from Luna.

As the elf scurried off Luna tried to decide the best tactic on asking Fred about Angelina. There was no stopping the inevitable. She knew that eventually Fred and Angelina would start dating; it really was only a matter of time.

Before she could even form a question in her head though two elves were heading in their direction and placing heaping plates of pudding in front of them. Fred started to eat, but Luna found that her appetite was gone. All of a sudden the food in front of her just didn't seem so appealing.

"Are you feeling all right?" Fred asked as he eyed her untouched plate.

"I'm fine," Luna shrugged. "I just don't have much of an appetite, I suppose."

"I thought you wanted to come down here," Fred said still looking suspicious. "I thought we agreed on no more secrets, Lu. You can tell me what's up."

She knew he was trying to coax an answer out of her when he used that nickname, but she just wasn't going to open up. After avoiding and denying the truth for so long it was hard to face it head on. She was going to lose Fred to Angelina and there was nothing she could do about it. There was no telling when she would lose him or for how long, but it was going to happen sometime soon.

"I have a really bad stomachache," she lied. "I'm going to go see Madam Pomfrey."

Fred couldn't even offer to walk her to the Hospital Wing because she was already standing up and dashing out of the kitchen. She would have to get used to doing things by herself. Ginny was always going to be her friend, but Ginny was getting more and more popular with each passing day. There really wasn't anyone at this school who knew how she felt.

"Longbottom, what happened to you?" a cocky voice was saying loudly from up ahead. "Did you fall into the leftover bin while looking for scrap food?"

Luna turned a corner and found herself in the entrance hall. Not a lot of people were around, but those who were all seemed to be enjoying the show. A Slytherin boy with white-blonde hair was laughing at a Gryffindor boy who had food splattered across his uniform.

The Slytherin boy gave out a few more rude remarks before heading toward the dungeons with his friends. Everyone else in the entrance hall went on with their own business. The Gryffindor boy was trying to clean his robes with a spell, but wasn't being very successful.

For some reason Luna could see herself in the boy. Being smeared in food and publicly teased seemed like her near future. Luna was prepared to forget the boy forever and continue on to Ravenclaw Tower when she heard him mumbling to himself.

"Why is it always me?" he asked gloomily as he pointed to what appeared to be mashed potatoes on his sleeve. "_Tergeo_."

"I think you might have to use the Scouring Charm to get rid of all of that," Luna said as she withdrew her wand. "Would you like me to help?"

The boy turned around to face her and he gave a small grin.

"Sure," he said. "That'd be great."

Luna nodded and after a few minutes they had successfully cleaned his robes. His dark hair still had chunks of food, but he just shrugged it off.

"I'm heading back to my dorm anyway," he said. "I'll just clean it out in the shower."

"You should do it right away," Luna said promptly. "Nargles might start to swarm if you keep it dirty for too long. Not to mention the Wrackspurts."

The boy gave a slow nod. It's not like Luna expected them to be instant best friends, but she had expected a "thank you" in the least.

"I'm Neville Longbottom, by the way," he said, outstretching a hand toward her. "Fourth year."

"Oh, I'm Luna Lovegood," Luna said, gingerly taking his hand in hers and giving it a small shake. "I'm in my third year."

"Well, it was nice to meet you," Neville said. "Thanks for your help."

Luna watched with a distant smile as he headed up the stairs. Making friends was something she rarely ever did, but she was pretty confident she was currently in the process of making a new one.


	38. Orange

_012. Orange _

It was the first Hogsmeade visit of the year and the students were all buzzing with excitement. The first task in the Triwizard Tournament was only a week away and the anticipation and rivalry between the three schools was stronger than ever. Homework and studying wasn't given the proper attention these days and Luna was finding it difficult to finish her Herbology essay.

Luna had vowed to finish her essay on harvesting puffapods before setting foot in Hogsmeade, but was finding it difficult since she had no idea what a puffapod was. Nibbling on the end of her quill and sitting in the library surrounded by first and second years was providing limited concentration for her. She was about to give up all hope until a voice reached her ears from behind.

"Ah, puffapods," Neville Longbottom said as he pulled up a chair next to Luna. "I remember learning about those. Not my favorites, but they're all right."

Turning to her right, Luna gave Neville a wide-eyed look of wonder. She raised her quill, dipped it in ink, and then ushered with her free hand for Neville to continue his explanation.

"Uh, well, puffapods are plants that produce large, pink seedpods that are filled with shining beans," Neville recited as he watched Luna scribble on her parchment. "The shining beans sprout into pink flowers and are popular to use in Divination readings. Sometimes the flowers appear orange though which some Seers think bring good luck."

After writing down what Neville had said Luna looked back at him to signal for him to keep going, but he shook his head.

"I'd like to help, Luna," he said as he stood up. "But I was just here to return a book before heading off to Hogsmeade. Aren't you going?"

"As soon as I finish this essay," Luna said, looking back at her parchment. "But I've made some serious progress, so I think a break is in order. I promised to meet Fred five minutes ago anyway."

"Fred?" Neville asked as Luna packed up her things and they headed out of the library.

"Fred Weasley," Luna elaborated. "He's my best friend."

Neville nodded in understanding and the two continued on to the entrance hall. It had been about a week since they had first met and it was easy to tell that they were already friends. Neville had friends of his own, but all of his friends had better friends than him, so he had always felt left-out. It turned out that he was actually acquainted with Ginny, much to Luna's delight.

Luna felt that Neville was probably one of the most interesting people she knew. He didn't talk much, he wasn't very popular, his grades weren't the best, and even Luna could tell he wasn't what most girls considered attractive, but he had a good heart and a passion for Herbology that was yet to be matched. In Luna's honest opinion he was a person worth getting to know. He was also the exact opposite of cocky, popular, and good-looking Fred Weasley.

Once they reached the entrance hall Luna immediately caught sight of Fred who was talking to George and Lee. Smiling happily, Luna turned to Neville.

"Well, there's Fred," Luna said as she pointed in Fred's general direction. "I'll see you later, Neville."

"Yeah, bye Luna," Neville said as he gave a small wave to her before walking over to a group of his roommates.

Luna approached Fred and tapped on his shoulder. He turned around and gave her a wide grin before taking her elbow and steering her away from George and Lee who were sniggering at them as usual.

"You will not believe this," Fred said smiling at her. "But I think Angelina might be coming around to my way of thinking."

"How can you tell?" Luna asked as she felt her stomach drop slightly.

"She smiles at me and talks to me more than usual," Fred shrugged. "Whenever she talks to me she always touches my arm and laughs at all of my jokes."

"Don't people usually laugh at your jokes?" Luna questioned.

"Yeah, but she been laughing a lot louder than usual," Fred said as a goofy grin accompanied his face.

"That's- That's really great, Fred," Luna said.

It was great. Fred was finally getting what he had always wanted while Luna felt like she was getting pushed into a corner. The already limited days of their friendship were slowly becoming smaller in number and it was hard for Luna to keep a straight focus on anything else these days. Making a new friend was great, but she would rather have Fred than all of the friends in the world.

"So, are you excited for your first visit to Hogsmeade?" Fred asked as the students started to be ushered out of the castle.

"Oh, yes," Luna said, feeling some of her eagerness start to flood back to her. "I heard that there are tons of things to see and places to go."

"Definitely," Fred said nodding. "Just don't be discouraged if we don't get to everything today."

"Wait, you're spending the entire day with me?" Luna asked as she looked up at him.

"Of course," Fred said grinning down at her. "First we'll head over to the Three Broomsticks to get some butterbeer."

The couple followed the rest of the students to Hogsmeade in comfortable silence. During this walk Luna took to sneaking occasional peeks at Fred and crinkling her nose at his hair. Even though her father had always had long hair for as long as she could remember she didn't exactly love the look on Fred. Actually she didn't like it at all.

The one thing she did like about his hair though was the color. Even though it was called "red hair" she always thought it looked more orange. A warm, bright orange instead of a gaudy, tacky color. It was one of the things that described perfectly what she felt when she was around him.

Everything always felt warm and bright, that's what love felt like for Luna. An orange-colored hue that she couldn't live without. The small comfort of having Ginny and possibly Neville after Fred left her for Angelina was starting to look like nothing.

Placing her hand on Fred's bicep, Luna couldn't help but lean into him slightly.

"Are you okay?" Fred asked as he looked down at her. "Is your stomach hurting again?"

"No, I'm just feeling very content right now," Luna said simply.


	39. Who?

_076. Who?_

"Luna!" Ginny shouted as she dashed down the hallway after her friend.

People were staring at her like she was insane, but Ginny just continued on until she reached Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom. Neville had been in the process of explaining a water plant he had been reading about when the pair had heard Ginny calling after them.

Luna and Neville turned around and watched as Ginny stopped in front of them with her hands on her knees looking completely out of breath.

"Yes?" Luna asked.

"Fred just asked Angelina to the ball and she said yes," Ginny spluttered as she supported herself against Neville to catch her breath.

The words she had been dreading to hear were suddenly true and Luna felt completely crestfallen. Luna had never expected Fred to ask her to the ball, but the truth still hurt. Neville had asked Ginny to go with him a couple of days ago and Ginny had eagerly agreed since third years and below weren't allowed to go without an upperclassman. Luna herself didn't have any interest in going, but the thought of Fred and Angelina holding each other on the dance floor was unbearable.

"Don't worry about a thing, though," Ginny said as she patted Neville on the shoulder. "Neville and I are going to be on the look-out the entire night. Any snogging and we'll intervene, right Neville?"

"Yeah, sure," Neville agreed.

"I appreciate it," Luna said with a small smile. "But you really don't have to. I've accepted it. It was bound to happen eventually."

Ginny looked like she was about to give some words of encouragement before an excited glow started to take over her face. Instantly her eyes seemed to widen and her mouth broke into a huge grin.

"Go to the ball," Ginny said excitedly. "Dress up and make yourself look absolutely gorgeous so he'll know who he's missing out on!"

"But I don't have a date or a dress," Luna said, shaking her head.

"We'll be your dates," Ginny said happily as she clapped her hands together and turned to Neville. "With a girl on each arm you'll look great, Neville."

"Two third year girls," Neville said, shaking his head.

"Two _gorgeous _third year girls," Ginny corrected before turning back to Luna and taking her hands.

It seemed impossible to turn down Ginny since she looked like she had just come up with the most brilliant idea ever. The thought was tempting, but Luna felt herself shaking her head.

"I'm not exactly 'gorgeous', Ginny," she said. "And I still don't have a dress."

"But I can get you a dress," Ginny said, grinning at her.

Luna looked desperately to Neville for help, but he just put up his hands in surrender. It seemed that he too knew that there was no use in arguing with Ginny when she was devising a plan.

"How are you going to get me a dress?" Luna asked. "The ball is in three days and there is no way to get to Hogsmeade."

"I know how to get you a dress and shoes without leaving this castle," Ginny said.

"I think this is my cue to leave you two alone," Neville said. "I'll see you at the common room, Ginny. Bye Luna."

While waving goodbye to Neville and watching him walk away, Luna tried not to look at Ginny. This proved to be difficult since the red-headed girl was currently circling her like a vulture.

"So, dress and shoes," Luna said as she began to spin in a circle to keep up with Ginny.

"One of my roommates is completely spoiled and bought two dresses and two pairs of shoes for the ball," Ginny said. "She said that one of the dresses she bought was absolute rubbish and gave it to me along with the shoes. I was going to wear them, but your need is far greater than mine."

"Then what are you going to wear?" Luna asked.

"One of my mum's old dresses," Ginny said as her face turned a light shade of pink. "It's a bit old-fashioned, but not too bad."

The fact that Ginny was willing to wear an old dress to the ball instead of one that was probably fashionable just to help Luna solidified the fact that Ginny was a great friend. Luna felt herself smiling as Ginny went on and on about how they could resize the dress and shoes with a simple charm and what kind of jewelry she should wear and how her hair should look.

"I know a great spell for spiral curls, which will look great on you," Ginny listed. "You can wear that necklace that you wore on the train ride home last school year. The sapphire one that was shaped like a triangle."

"Oh, all right," Luna agreed.

"Have you ever walked in high heels before?" Ginny asked.

"Never," Luna admitted with a shake of her head.

"Well you're going to need to," Ginny said. "We need to give you some height so you won't look like a house-elf compared to leggy Angelina."

Ginny continued on and on about the silver high heels that she was going to cram on to Luna's feet and how Luna should probably drop by Gryffindor Tower a few hours before the ball to practice walking in them and to get dressed.

"So, what does this dress look like?" Luna asked.

"Well, it's short," Ginny explained as she rested her hand a couple of inches above her knee. "It's royal blue, which will match your eyes brilliantly. Strapless as well and the skirt is made out of tulle with sparkly beads in it. The top part has sequins sewed into it, but it doesn't look gaudy. It's just really beautiful and you're going to look beautiful."

"That sounds great, Ginny," Luna said honestly.

"What sounds great?" a voice called from the opposite side of the hall.

The two girls looked in the direction of the voice to see Fred walking toward them with a broad grin on his face.

"I'll leave you two alone," Ginny said as she parted from them.

Fred watched Ginny go before approaching Luna and smiling down at her.

"What sounds great?" he repeated.

"The dress I'm wearing to the Yule Ball," Luna said. "She was able to find me one."

Luna had to admit that she enjoyed the surprised look on his face. It was clear that he wasn't expecting that at all and that he also couldn't find the exact words to give a proper response.

"I heard you asked Angelina," Luna said, finding herself smiling now. "That's great."

"Yeah, thanks," Fred said. "So, uh, who are you going with?"

"Neville and Ginny," Luna said. "As friends, of course."

These words seemed to give him some sense of relief, but Luna was actually amused by his nervousness. It was like he didn't want some random bloke taking her to the ball.

"But you never know, I might meet someone there," Luna shrugged. "My dress does sound like it's awfully gorgeous."

"What does it look like?" Fred asked quickly.

"I guess you'll just have to find out," Luna said nonchalantly.

She then spun on her heel and began to walk in the other direction toward Ravenclaw Tower with a giggle accompanying her lips.


	40. Dance

_099. Dance_

The night everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. At six o'clock, exactly two hours before the beginning of the Yule Ball, Luna Lovegood found herself standing in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. She had successfully found her way to the Gryffindor common room thanks to some very descriptive instructions from Ginny. In all honesty Luna had wanted to get lost on the way there, but had decided to show up anyway. She would never have a chance to do this again so she didn't want to have to wonder for the rest of her life.

"Fairy lights," Luna said to the Fat Lady.

The portrait hole opened and Luna climbed through. The Gryffindor common room was a lot cozier than the Ravenclaw common room. It wasn't as airy and blue wasn't exactly a prominent color in the room, but there were some distinct similarities she could easily make out. Luna headed up the staircase to the girls' dormitories and opened the third door like Ginny had instructed.

Inside she found five girls running frantically around the dorm. Three of the girls were dressed in Muggle clothes. Luna assumed that they couldn't get dates to the ball and she suddenly felt a tad bit superior.

"Oh, Luna you're here!" Ginny called from the opposite side of the room.

Ginny was currently getting her hair done by one of her roommates. She wasn't wearing her dress yet, but it looked like she already had her make-up on. Luna walked over to her and sat next to her on the bed.

"So, what's first?" Luna asked as she looked around the room. "Learning how to walk in my shoes?"

"Actually, no," Ginny said as she waved over a girl with curly brown hair. "Demelza was able to put a Balancing Charm on the shoes, so you should be able to walk in them just as easily as the shoes you're wearing right now."

This bit of news came as a great relief to Luna. The last thing she wanted was to trip over her own feet in front of Fred. The curly haired girl, now introduced as Demelza Robins, was one of the three girls staying behind.

"Why are you going to the ball, Luna?" Demelza asked as she dug around in her handbag. "You don't seem that excited about it."

"Well, Ginny kind of convinced me," Luna said with a shrug.

Apparently Demelza was having trouble finding whatever she needed in her handbag so she decided to just dump the contents on one of the beds. Dozens of beauty products came spilling out and Luna felt her stomach knot up. She had never worn make-up before and didn't want to start anytime soon.

"First, you need a good tweeze," Demelza said as she took a pair of small tweezers and lifted them up to Luna's eyebrows.

Luna had never been one to complain or speak up, so she was finding it difficult to stop Demelza from plucking out all of the hairs. Ginny apparently noticed Luna tense up and she placed a hand on her arm comfortingly.

"Luna, look at Demelza's eyebrows," Ginny said. "They're works of art. Besides, we have to make you look flawless to make him jealous."

All of the loud noises that had just accompanied the room came to an abrupt stop and Luna was suddenly bombarded by four girls all at once.

"Make _who _jealous?" the girl who had previously been brushing Ginny's hair asked excitedly.

"Would we know him?" a girl in a floor-length evening gown asked.

"Does he go to our school?" Demelza questioned as she took this moment of chaos to pluck a few more hairs from Luna's eyebrows.

"Who cares about that?" another girl asked. "What does he look like?"

Never in her life had Luna ever been the center of attention and it was a little unnerving. Having so many people staring at her with their completely undivided attention wasn't something she was used to.

"Back off," Ginny said. "She doesn't have to tell you if she doesn't want to."

It seemed that these were the magic words because the four girls quickly went back to work. The girl wearing the floor-length gown was also the one giving her spare dress and shoes to Luna. She wasn't exactly the nicest person Luna had met, but she wasn't unpleasant. Luna was the same size as her except a bit shorter, so the dress didn't need to be adjusted that much.

After making sure her dress and shoes were in order Luna saw from the corner of her eye that Demelza was gathering even more beauty products to use on her. A thousand rejections were already being lined up in Luna's mind, but she put a stop to them. It wasn't that big of a deal. She could always wash it off if she didn't like it.

"So, who is this mystery guy?" Demelza asked as she began to apply make-up to Luna's face.

"My best friend," Luna said. "We've been friends since my first year and now he's in his sixth year. He's going to the ball with a girl he's liked forever, so I should be happy for him."

"A sixth year, huh?" Demelza said with a perked eyebrow. "Well that barely narrows it down. Come on, Luna, you can tell us. We might be able to help out tonight."

The girls were acting nice to her and it was such a nice difference from the attitude she usually received from her own roommates. Luna could see no harm in telling the girls.

"Fred Weasley," she said.

"One of the twins?" one of the girls asked.

Luna nodded and watched in amusement as the girls all discussed this new piece of gossip together. It seemed that none of the girls had a problem with this and were all actually very excited by the prospect of playing matchmaker.

"All done," Demelza said. "Ginny do you want to curl her hair now?"

"Sure," Ginny said as she looked at her watch. "It's nearly seven thirty. We should hurry up."

Ginny was already dressed and ready to go. Her dress was indeed old-fashioned, but somehow she managed to pull it off. Taking her wand off of her bed she pointed it at Luna's head and moved the wand rapidly in small circles. Luna's hair instantly turned into perfect spiral curls. Demelza then placed a thin silver headband on top of her head and stepped back and smiled.

"Now go get dressed and no looking into the mirror in advance," she said as she handed Luna her dress and shoes.

Taking them, Luna exited the room and walked into the small dormitory bathroom. She quickly got dressed in a stall and took her mother's necklace from a pocket in her school robes. Slipping into her heels she found them to be just as comfortable as the shoes she wore every day. After fastening the necklace around her neck she headed back into the dorm. Ginny and the other girl attending the ball were already gone.

"Ginny said she was going to meet Neville in the entrance hall," Demelza said. "You should meet them down there. But first, you _need _to look at yourself."

Demelza then all but shoved Luna to stand in front of a full-length mirror. It was easy to avoid her reflection at first, but soon Luna found herself staring. The dress fit perfectly and she found herself becoming fond of the flowing material. Her eyebrows truly were masterpieces all thanks to Demelza and her hair looked flawless thanks to Ginny. The make-up looked natural as well; it was just used to hide blemishes and to make her cheeks look rosy and her eyes a little darker.

"Thank you," Luna said as she smiled at Demelza.

"Don't mention it," she said with a shrug. "Your necklace looks perfect with that dress."

"Yeah, I suppose it does," Luna said softly as she touched the triangle pendant with her fingertips.

Soon Luna was ushered out of the room by Demelza and she found herself dashing through the Gryffindor common room. The journey to the entrance hall was short and uneventful. Once she reached the hall she immediately saw Ginny and Neville waiting outside of the doors. Ginny saw her coming and waved at her.

"You look gorgeous," Ginny said excitedly as Luna approached them.

Neville turned around to face her and he appeared to be taken aback before looking flustered.

"Wow, Luna," he said as he scratched the back of his neck. "You look really nice."

"Thanks Neville," Luna said with a small smile. "Should we head in now?"

Almost as soon as the trio walked into the Hall Fred and Angelina walked right in front of them. Fred was wearing standard black dress robes, but Luna still felt her heart pound heavily in her chest. For some reason seeing him dressed up was an extremely wonderful thing. This feeling was soon replaced by complete dread. Angelina was wearing a purple gown that was attracting a lot of attention from several boys around her.

"She looks gorgeous," Luna grumbled to Ginny as they went to stand at the opposite side.

"Well, so do you," Ginny said.

"In comparison to her I look like terrible," Luna argued. "I'm no match for her. Did you notice all of the boys gawking at her?"

"Have you noticed all of the boys gawking at you?" Ginny asked in turn.

This comment seemed absolutely ridiculous to Luna. That was until she scanned the crowd around her and noticed a few boys were looking at her. It wasn't in the cautious or nervous way they usually looked at her, but in a way that feigned actual interest.

"I think I would prefer it if they just left me alone," Luna said as she inched toward Ginny.

"Whatever," Ginny said with an eye roll. "I'm going to go dance with Neville and you find a guy to make Fred extremely jealous. I suggest someone from Durmstrang."

Before Luna could even voice her protest Ginny was dragging Neville on to the dance floor leaving Luna alone. Almost everyone was dancing, but there were some people who were just sitting at the tables either talking or looking miserable. Luna started to navigate through the tables and was finally able to find an empty one in the back. This night was already turning out badly and Luna just hoped that Fred wouldn't spot her sitting all alone at a table.

She couldn't honestly say how much time had gone by when Ginny and Neville finally made their way to Luna's table.

"Why haven't you found someone?" Ginny asked as she sat across from Luna.

"I'm not exactly good at talking to people," Luna said with a shrug. "I think I'm just going to head back to Ravenclaw Tower. This was a terrible idea."

Ginny was about to open her mouth to protest when Neville outstretched his hand to Luna with a smile on his face.

"They're playing slow songs right now, so do you wanna dance?" he asked.

Instantly Luna felt her heart warm and her lips stretched into a smile. Thank goodness for Neville Longbottom. Before Ginny could say another syllable Luna took Neville's hand and let him walk her out on to the dance floor. Neville placed his hands on her high waist and Luna clasped her hands on the back of his neck.

"You're a good dancer, Neville," Luna noted.

"We're just swaying," Neville said with a laugh. "It's not exactly that difficult."

"Don't be so modest," Luna said.

Neville's face broke out into a grin and the two continued to dance. In that moment Luna's mind was completely clear of Fred Weasley and Angelina Johnson. The only thing she was focusing on was not tripping over her feet.

"So, why did you ask Ginny to the ball?" Luna asked.

"Because she's my friend," Neville said with a shrug.

"Do you like her as more than a friend?" Luna asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Not at all," he said shaking his head. "She can be pretty bossy at times."

"Agreed," Luna said.

Soon the two were laughing and gaining rather strange looks from other couples on the dance floor, but they ignored them. There was something about Neville Longbottom that made Luna feel like she wasn't alone a lot of the time. He was such a good friend to her and an all-around nice guy.

"You're really terrific, Neville," she complimented.

"Er, thanks," Neville replied awkwardly as a blush crept up on his cheeks. "You're really terrific as well, Luna."

Luna could have honestly spent the entire night dancing with Neville if a rather tall and older boy from Durmstrang hadn't tapped Neville on the shoulder.

"May I cut in?" he asked.

Neville gave a cautionary glance toward Luna but she just smiled and nodded. Ginny _had _told her to dance with a Durmstrang student. Plus she couldn't think of why a handsome, older boy would want to dance with her on any normal circumstance, so it was most likely now or never.

"Yeah, sure," Neville said as he released Luna.

The Durmstrang boy grinned in thanks to Neville before placing his hands on Luna's hips and pulling her close to him. It was extremely awkward to be so close to a complete stranger, but Luna persevered. Maybe in Bulgaria they just danced this closely together.

"My name is Andon," he said and Luna found herself hating the cockiness in his voice. "Vot is your name?"

"Oh, I'm Luna," she replied as she placed her hands lightly on his shoulders.

This information seemed to be all Andon needed since he continued to dance with her in a stiff and awkward manner. It was at a time like this that Luna's mind drifted to Fred. She hadn't seen him since the beginning of the night. The ball was a little over halfway over and she hadn't even said a word to him. As Andon spun her around she was able to get a clear view of the dance floor. She spotted George dancing with a girl she recognized from the Gryffindor Quidditch team and Lee was talking to a couple of girls from Beauxbatons, but Fred was nowhere in sight.

"So, Luna," Andon said. "How vood you like to take a valk vis me in the garden?"

"Um, well all right," Luna shrugged.

Andon grinned down at her and then took her small hand in his large one as he dragged her out of the Great Hall. They reached the garden in a matter of minutes and Luna instinctively tightened her arms around herself.

"Are you cold?" Andon asked.

"A bit," Luna admitted.

She knew this move well, since it always seemed that Fred was doing it to her. Whenever she looked cold or mentioned she was cold he would always shrug off his jacket or school robe and wrap it around her.

"Vell, I know a vay that ve can warm up quickly," he said, grinning at her.

The smile he was giving her wasn't one that suggested he was going to hand her his jacket or even light a fire with his wand. He took her hand in his once again and led her to a stone bench that was concealed from view because of a thick hedge.

"You're very pretty, Luna," Andon said as he pushed Luna on to the bench.

"Uh, thank you," Luna said meekly as she scooted away from him.

Andon didn't say anything else and he didn't sit next to Luna on the bench. He stood in front of her with an odd expression on his face. She didn't feel safe at all and her palms were turning sweaty despite the frigid December air. He was looking at her like an animal about to pounce on his prey. His dark eyes moved up and down her body and Luna heard a voice in the back of her head telling her to run.

"Well, I think I should be going," Luna said cautiously.

She was about to stand up when Andon placed his hands roughly on her shoulders and pushed her down on the bench. A sharp pain appeared in the back of her head as it connected with the cold stone of the bench. Andon clutched her thighs in his hands as he bent over her and slammed his lips against hers.

Luna froze. There was nothing she could do. She was just a tiny, thirteen year-old girl who had been stupid enough to think that it was okay to leave her wand in her trunk in Ravenclaw Tower. She felt even stupider for letting him lead her outside to the garden and into such a secluded area. Her eyes grew warm with tears, she was absolutely doomed.

Then Andon lifted his lips for just a fraction of a second. This was just long enough to call out for help. Except that wasn't what left her lips.

"Fred!" she shouted as she choked on her tears.

Andon clamped a hand over her mouth and waited to see if anyone was going to show up. Luna encircled her hands around his wrist to try and pry his hand from her mouth, but his grip was too strong. Her attacker smirked down at her and he removed his hand from her lips for another half second.

"FRED!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs just before Andon grabbed his wand from his pocket.

"You need to shut up," he growled as he pointed his wand at her. "_Silenci-_."

He wasn't able to finish the spell since someone had punched him in the back of the head. Luna's attacker's eyes suddenly drooped and he fell on to the cold ground.

"Luna," Fred said as he went over to her and picked her up bridal style without a second thought. "I'm going to go take her to the Hospital Wing, Angelina."

"Good," Angelina said as she looked down at the unconscious Bulgarian with disgust. "I'll go get a professor to deal with this trash."

Luna wasn't exactly sure what was happening in that moment. The only thing that mattered though was that she was safe and sound in Fred's arms. Leaning her head against his bicep she looked up at him to see a determined look on his face.

"You came," Luna said once she had found her voice.

"Don't talk," Fred said. "I can't handle distractions right now. It's taking every ounce of my will power to not go back and kill that bastard."

These words encouraged Luna to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the journey across the school. Once they reached the Hospital Wing, Fred placed Luna down on the nearest cot before heading back to Madam Pomfrey's office. He was back soon after.

"She's probably still at the ball," he said angrily as he sat down on the cot next to Luna's.

Luna slowly sat up to face Fred. He looked absolutely terrifying. His face was contorted in rage and his wand kept twitching in his hand.

"Are you mad at me?" Luna asked meekly after what felt like decades of silence.

"What?" Fred asked. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because I interrupted your date with Angelina," Luna said quietly. "If I hadn't gone with him to the garden, if I hadn't let him cut in while I was dancing with Neville, if I hadn't gone to the ball in the first place…"

Everything she said after that was muffled with tears. It got to the point that she was choking on them and shaking uncontrollably. Fred placed his wand on one of the tables next to the cot before placing a hand on her shoulder. He knew that if he touched her anymore he wouldn't be able to stop. He wouldn't be able to stop wanting to erase every trace of that man from her.

"I just feel so dirty," she sobbed.

Fred moved his hand to the small of her back where he began to rub small circles. He could tell that she needed him more than anything at that moment.

"Dance with me," he said softly.

Luna looked up at him with her mouth slightly open and her eyes filled with tears. He took her hand in his and slowly pulled her to her feet. She instantly flung an arm around his middle and he wove a hand through her hair. His other hand was still clasped in hers.

They slowly started to spin to some made up melody that was all their own. Fred buried his face in her hair and inhaled her scent.

"I could never be mad at you," he muttered into her hair.

Her tears were starting to seep through his shirt and he felt a ridiculous amount of rage overcome him. He wanted to kill that bastard more than anything. The fact that one person could cause someone he cared about so much pain had been something completely unthinkable. That was until he heard her screaming his name in the middle of that garden. He was supposed to be her protector, but he had let her down.

"Luna," Fred said as he pulled his face from her hair to look down at her.

"Yes?" Luna answered as she met his eyes.

"Where did he touch you?" he asked.

"Fred, it's not a huge problem," Luna said as she sat back down on her cot. "He didn't get… too far."

"Answer me," Fred said as he struggled to keep his voice even.

Luna looked into his brown eyes and felt her chest begin to clench. She didn't want to tell him, she didn't want to tell anyone. Telling him would cause him so much pain and she didn't want to do that.

"Please, just tell me," he said as he sat down on his cot so that he was sitting across from her.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Luna asked.

"Yes," he said firmly.

"On my thighs," Luna said as she felt her face heat up slightly. "He kissed me as well."

It wasn't seconds after she had said those words that he placed his hands gently on her thighs and leaned across to press his lips softly against hers. His movements were so familiar to what had happened with Andon, but they were also extremely different.

Fred moved his lips against hers softly with practiced ease as his fingers lightly brushed against the pale skin of her thighs. On pure instinct Luna placed her hands on either side of his neck as he continued to kiss her. He pulled away slightly, but his lips were still brushing against hers as he met her blue eyes.

"Anywhere else?" he asked, barely louder than a whisper.

"When we were dancing he put his hands on my hips," Luna said. "But that was it."

Luna expected him to put his hands on top of the fabric of her dress where her hips were. Instead he moved his hands up along her bare thighs and under the stomach portion of her dress. He cupped her hips with his hands and rubbed his thumbs across her bare stomach before pressing his lips against hers once more.

This kiss was more fervent than the last and Luna was starting to feel light-headed. She honestly expected him to deepen the kiss, but just as quickly as it had come, it ended. Fred withdrew his hands from under her dress and parted completely from her.

"I saw you as soon as you came walking through those doors with Ginny and Longbottom," he said. "I watched you the entire night sitting at that table all by yourself. I should've talked to you, but Angelina kept wanting me to dance with her. After a while I spotted you dancing with Longbottom and you looked just so content and… happy. So I didn't watch you for the rest of the night, because I thought it would be okay. If anyone's to blame it's me."

"Fred, don't talk like that," Luna said quickly. "It's nobody's fault but mine. I shouldn't have gone off with him."

A groan escaped Fred's lips as he bent over and rested his forehead on Luna's kneecaps.

"It's that bastard's fault," he said. "It's his and his alone."

"Okay," Luna agreed half-heartedly.

"That wasn't very convincing, Lu," Fred said as he lifted his head and placed a kiss on one of her knees before sitting back up. "You look so beautiful."

Fred let out a sigh as he took her hands in his. Luna met his gaze and he let out a small half grin.

"I need to tell you something," he said.

"All right," Luna complied.

"Seeing you lying there with him over you was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life," he admitted. "Watching you cry just about killed me. I'm also feeling like a complete arse for kissing you when you just went through that. I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Luna said shaking her head.

"I'm not done," Fred said. "Angelina broke things off with me tonight. It was a lot more obvious to her than it ever was to me that we were never supposed to be together. She told me it was because I was in love with someone else. Luna, I know that you were just put through absolute hell, but I need to tell you this. Luna Lovegood, I have always been in lo-."

"Oh, my dear girl, are you all right?" Madam Pomfrey called from the opposite end of the Hospital Wing as she came charging toward Luna.

Luna felt absolutely terrible. So many emotions were currently being crammed into her that she felt like she was going to be sick.

"Professor McGonagall just told me what happened," Madam Pomfrey continued obliviously as she approached Luna. "That boy is being sent right back to Bulgaria as we speak and will be given a very cruel punishment. At least I hope he will be. Now, what happened?"

Madam Pomfrey sat down on the cot next to Luna and took Luna's hands away from Fred's before taking them in her own. Fred and Luna continued to sit there in stunned silence as Madam Pomfrey tried to comfort Luna before turning to Fred.

"I need to know exactly what happened tonight," she said. "I don't think Miss Lovegood is comfortable with you here, so please head back to Gryffindor Tower, Mr. Weasley."

"Right," Fred said as he stood up. "I'll see you first thing in the morning, Luna."

"Okay," Luna nodded.

Fred appeared to be having a small inner conflict over how to say goodbye to her before patting her shoulder.

"Goodnight, Luna," he said before turning on his heel and walking quickly out of the Hospital Wing.


	41. Broken

_071. Broken _

She was turning fourteen today. Time really did go by quickly. A month had almost gone by since the Yule Ball and Luna was still a prime target for gossip. It seemed that the majority of the people spreading these rumors didn't believe that Luna had been attacked by Andon. The main belief was that she had actually wanted him to touch her and was just trying to pass it off as attempted rape for attention.

On a daily basis Luna received terrible letters and notes from various owls during breakfast. Each one called her a word like "slut" or "whore". At first each note brought her to the edge of tears and she would have to run out of the Great Hall with Fred, Ginny, and/or Neville going after her each time. Now that so much time had passed since the ball the letters were much less frequent and they didn't sting as much. All of the letters just said the same things anyway. If anything she pitied the lack of creativity in the letters.

It was a cold Sunday morning when another letter came. Luna unceremoniously tossed it next to her plate when she noticed the familiar handwriting on the envelope. Luna grabbed it and ripped the envelope open.

_My dearest Luna,_

_Happy 14__th__ birthday!_

_I'm sorry that I can't buy you a gift this year since money has been scarce lately. I hope you are doing well and are enjoying your lessons. I missed you this year at Christmas, but I know you probably had a wonderful time at the Yule Ball. Since your special day falls on a Sunday this year you must be having a terrific day. After all, the Crumple-Horned Snorkack loves Sundays!_

_Love,_

_Your father, Xenophilius_

_P.S. Watch out for mistletoe! You know how much Nargles love it!_

Luna's face had continued to grow into a smile as she read down the parchment. It didn't matter that her father hadn't given her a gift because this was the best gift she could have gotten. A letter that was filled with love instead of hate and disgust was such a lovely change.

Looking up from her letter, Luna peered across the hall to the Gryffindor table at the other end. Instead of talking with his Quidditch friends like usual Fred was sitting at the far end with George. This wouldn't be bizarre at all if the two weren't huddled over what appeared to be a piece of parchment.

Her curiosity soon won her over and Luna found herself walking across the hall to the Gryffindor table. When she got close to them she could pick out bits and pieces of their conversation.

"He hasn't replied to us and we've been trying all year," George said. "We need to start being a bit more forceful."

"Yeah, but what do we have on him?" Fred asked. "There's no way he'll-."

"There's no way who will what?" Luna questioned as she sat across from the two.

The twins both gave a small jump as they looked up to see Luna attempting to sneak a peek at the parchment they were poring over. George quickly flipped it over and placed his elbow on top of it.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," he said.

"Perhaps," Luna shrugged.

"No, it's definitely not any of your business," George argued.

"Well I don't see how I can know if it's my business or not if you don't tell me what it's about," Luna said bluntly.

George opened his mouth to argue again when he closed it. Apparently he didn't have a proper comeback and looked to his twin for support. Unfortunately Fred was too busy smiling at Luna. Letting out a groan and an eye roll, George stood and took the parchment from the table.

"I'll talk to you later then," he said as he walked to the other end of the Gryffindor table where Lee Jordan was sitting.

"Happy birthday," Fred said.

"Thank you," Luna said in turn. "So, what was the letter about?"

"Sorry, but that's kind of something between George and I," Fred apologized.

"What about a hint?" Luna pressed.

"We got cheated out of some money and now we're broke," he shrugged. "No big deal."

This did seem like a big deal though. Fred and George had never been ones to go on about possibly blackmailing someone and Luna had to admit she was concerned. But there was a lot more history between Fred and George than Fred and herself so she knew there was no way he would tell her.

"Having a good birthday so far?" he asked.

"Oh yes," Luna said excitedly. "I got a letter from my father, some Honeydukes candy from Neville, and a new schoolbag from Ginny. This has been one of my best birthdays yet."

"That's good to hear," Fred said as he reached out over the table and grabbed one of her hands in his.

His thumb started to stroke over her knuckles and Luna recoiled instantly. Fred looked at her appearing startled before looking apologetic.

"Sorry," he said. "I guess you still haven't gotten used to a guy touching you."

Luna shook her head. After that night in the Hospital Wing Fred never picked up the conversation they had been engaged in. Luna knew what he had been going to say as well, and she was more than ready to say it back to him, but she just couldn't bring it up anymore. The last time he had touched her was in the Hospital Wing because whenever he tried to touch her now she would instinctively flinch away.

She had never realized how much she relied on his touch before. The absence of it made her feel so broken.

"So, do you want to see the present I bought you?" Fred asked as he reached into his schoolbag.

"Of course," Luna smiled.

After fumbling through his bag Fred finally withdrew a small package. The package was just several sheets of blue tissue paper with a silver ribbon tied around it, but Luna took it happily anyway. It was a true piece of art compared to how Neville had wrapped his present.

Luna undid the ribbon before slowly unfolding the tissue paper. He had never given her a present before other than a massive cupcake on her 12th birthday. Her heart was fluttering in anticipation as she pulled back the last bit of tissue paper and saw her gift.

On a delicate silver chain was a silver heart-shaped locket. On the locket was a hare curled up in a ball and sleeping peacefully. As soon as Luna brushed her fingers across the smooth metal though the hare woke up and started to prance around the circumference of the locket.

"I thought you said you were broke," Luna said as she looked up at him.

"I bought that before," Fred shrugged. "It just reminded me of you so I bought it. If you don't like it-."

"No, I love it!" Luna said excitedly as she undid the clasp and brought the chain around her neck.

She fastened the clasp and looked down at the hare happily before looking back at Fred.

"I wish I could have done that," Fred said.

"Done what?" Luna asked.

"Put the necklace on you," he admitted.

Luna looked at him apologetically but he just shook his head before standing up. He motioned his head to the side and Luna stood up as well. They walked on opposite sides of the long table until they came to the end and walked out of the Great Hall together.

"Want to take a walk around the grounds?" he asked. "I know how much you like the cold."

"Sure, let's go," Luna said as she nodded her head. "I just have to go get my coat from my dorm."

"All right," Fred said. "I'll be back in the Great Hall talking to George about our money issues. Come find me when you're ready to go."

The two parted ways and Luna headed happily toward Ravenclaw Tower. This seemed to actually be a good day. Definitely one of her better birthdays, if not the best one yet. Once she reached the common room she immediately made her way up to her dorm. Her coat was easily located in the wardrobe next to her bed. She was shrugging into it when she noticed a large envelope on her bed.

Luna looked at it for a moment in pure wonder. Who else could have given her a present today? Sitting down on her bed, she took the envelope in her hands. It had her name written on it in an unfamiliar scrawl. Frowning, Luna opened the envelope and reached inside. Feeling a sharp pain in her index finger, Luna instantly took her hand out of the envelope. She looked down at her finger to see a bead of blood sticking to it.

Maybe it was best to just dump the contents on her bed. So Luna did just that and hundreds of sapphire shards came tumbling across her bedspread along with a small piece of parchment. Luna instantly recognized what the sapphire shards were from.

"No," she moaned as she grabbed the parchment.

_Happy birthday slut._

Her mother's necklace was broken into tiny little pieces completely beyond repair. This definitely wasn't her best birthday anymore. It was more like her worst.


	42. Winter

_061. Winter_

"Happy Valentine's Day," Fred said with a large grin as he sat across from Luna at the Ravenclaw table.

Luna looked up from the February edition of _The Quibbler _to see a single white rose in front of her face. She took it from him and looked down at the solitary flower.

"I am worthy of you," she said as she rubbed a waxy petal between two of her fingers.

"Uh, pardon?" Fred asked, looking considerably flustered.

"That's the meaning of white roses, along with a few other things like purity, innocence," Luna rambled. "Yellow means 'I care', red means 'I love you', and so on."

"Oh, well, I just thought you would like it," he shrugged.

"Well, you thought right," she said dreamily as she tucked the rose behind her ear. "So, what brings you here at the Ravenclaw table this afternoon?"

It appeared to Luna that Fred was nervous about something. This was a very strange thing for Luna to witness. Fred had always seemed so cocky and sure of himself, but now he looked like he had a rather bad stomachache and he kept scratching the back of his neck.

"Classes are over for the day," he said. "It also just so happens to be Valentine's Day and I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me."

"All right," Luna said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Really?" Fred asked.

"I don't see why not," she said. "Shall we go now?"

"Sure," Fred said as he stood up from the table.

The couple exited the Great Hall together and without even discussing where they were going they walked outside. A thick layer of snow covered the grounds and the air wasn't exactly the most comfortable degree. They continued on all the same without a certain agenda in their minds, just walking through the snow and enjoying the others company.

"Why do you like winter so much?" Fred asked as they reached the row of greenhouses.

"A lot of holidays are during winter," Luna shrugged. "Christmas, New Years, my birthday. I also enjoy the snow."

"Well, I'm not the biggest fan of the cold, so do you want to go into one of the greenhouses?" he asked as he jerked a thumb toward the closest one.

Luna nodded and Fred opened the door for her. As soon as she entered the greenhouse a sweltering wave of heat reached her. Shrugging off her coat and placing it on one of the work benches, Luna looked around at the plants in the greenhouse. Instead of the usual magical plants that normally occupied the greenhouse, there were hundreds of different colored roses.

"For Valentine's Day," Fred said as he closed the door behind him. "During Herbology Professor Sprout said that anyone was welcome to come in and take one."

"Did you get the white one from here?" Luna asked as she brushed her fingertips along the rose that was still tucked behind her ear.

Nodding, Fred sat on top of one of the work tables and patted the empty spot next to him. Being considerably shorter than Fred, Luna had to hoist herself on to the table instead of just simply sitting down. Her feet dangled off of the edge by at least a foot while his feet were brushing the ground.

"It's snowing," Fred said as he pointed outside.

"It's strange," Luna commented. "It feels like spring in here, but it's winter out there. Especially with all of these flowers in here. I wonder if Professor Sprout uses a special fertilizer."

"I thought you didn't care for Herbology," Fred pointed out.

"Oh, I don't," Luna said, shaking her head. "My mum owned a flower shop though in Ottery St. Catchpole. It was her main job since doing experiments wasn't exactly that profitable."

"Hey, I know that shop," Fred said. "Dad would always buy mum a bouquet on their anniversary. He stopped about four or five years ago though…"

Fred trailed off as he noticed the pained look on Luna's face before mentally slapping himself. The shop had obviously closed down when her mother had passed away. Looking down at the work table they were sitting on, Fred noticed that she had placed one of her hands on the surface between the two of them. Slowly and carefully Fred placed his own hand on top of hers. Luna gave a small jolt, but didn't move her hand away.

"Is this okay?" he asked as he gave her hand a small squeeze.

"Mm," Luna hummed as she nodded her head before turning her head to look at him. "Fred, why did you ask me out on a date today?"

"I thought it was obvious," he said.

"Not exactly," Luna replied.

"Luna, we both know what I was going to tell you at the Hospital Wing the night of the Yule Ball," he sighed, running his free hand through his hair.

Her heart was pounding rather violently inside of her chest. Was he actually going to say it? Did she even _want_ him to say it?

"I don't know exactly when it happened," Fred continued obviously not noticing Luna's inner turmoil. "But just talking with you makes me happy. You are the most interesting, honest, _beautiful _girl I know and-."

Please don't say it.

"I'm in love with you," he finished, a small smile appearing on his face.

Luna froze. She had been waiting to hear those words for so long and yet it felt so _wrong_. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved him as well, but she just couldn't bring herself to say them back. Her mouth was slightly open and Fred's expression had gone from confident to nervous.

"Say something, Lu," Fred said with panic in his tone.

"What do you want me to say?" Luna asked.

"Whatever you're thinking right now," he said and Luna could feel his hand getting sweaty in hers.

"Well, we shouldn't be together," Luna blurted out as she took her hand out of his. "Fred, I can barely stand you holding my hand, okay? You know that I love you, but I just can't be with you, not right now. I'm not comfortable being around men and I want to be with you, _so _much, but I can't. I'm sorry, I just can't."

It was safe to say that the current silence they were surrounded in was the most awkward they had very been exposed to. Luna expected him to be mad or to not understand and keep pushing things on her. To be honest, she wasn't exactly sure she understood the circumstances herself.

"All right," Fred said as he got off of the table and took her hands to help her down. "I understand."

"Really?" she asked.

"Of course," he said. "I'm not going to do anything that will make you uncomfortable. You should just know something."

"What's that?" Luna asked.

"I don't give up that easily," he said with a grin as he opened the door to the greenhouse and made his way into the blizzard happening outside.


	43. Lunch

_057. Lunch_

"Do you really think it's a good idea for us to be eating while they're down there?" Neville asked as he watched Luna and Ginny take huge bites of their sandwiches.

"It's lunchtime," Ginny said with her mouth full of food. "They'll be down there for an hour; I think we have the right to eat."

"Agreed," Luna said, wiping her mouth on a napkin.

The Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament had only started about fifteen minutes ago. In the middle of the Black Lake stood three wooden platforms that students and staff could sit on to watch the task. The Black Lake was named appropriately though and everyone was finding it difficult to see anything. Luna, Ginny, and Neville had found a corner on the upper level of one of the platforms to eat lunch while the champions performed their task.

"What do you think they're doing down there?" Ginny asked as she peered over the side of the platform to gaze into the lake.

"Is someone worried about a certain champion?" Luna asked smugly.

"N-No!" Ginny replied, shaking her head furiously. "I'm just curious."

Luna and Neville gave each other knowing looks before continuing to eat their lunches. Ginny eyed the two of them before a wicked grin appeared on her face as she turned to Luna.

"So, Luna," Ginny said. "How are things with Fred?"

"Fine," Luna shrugged dismissively.

"Last I heard he kind of told you he was in love with you," Ginny pressed.

"Oh, he definitely did that," Luna nodded.

It was plain to see that the last thing Neville wanted was to be covered in bits of the sandwich Ginny had been chewing. As Neville wiped the chewed bits off of him Ginny stared at Luna seemingly speechless. Then without another second to waste she was opening her mouth to speak.

"When did this happen?" she cried. "What did you say? Why didn't you tell me?"

"A little over a week ago, I said that we shouldn't be together, and I never told you because you never asked," Luna listed off calmly.

"You told him you shouldn't be together?" Ginny asked. "You've been in love with him for over a year! What is wrong with you?"

"I just don't feel comfortable around him when it's just the two of us alone," Luna said, picking absentmindedly at her sandwich. "I know he would never do anything to hurt me, but after the Yule Ball…"

Luna trailed off and looked up at Ginny and Neville to see them both looking rather uncomfortable. Sighing, Luna stood up and began to stretch out her arms before picking up her sandwich.

"I'm going to go stretch my legs," she said.

Before Ginny or Neville could get a word out to stop her she was descending the stairs that led to the lower level of the platform. The bottom level was much more crowded than the top, but it didn't matter to Luna. She took another bite of her sandwich just as she passed by George who was taking bets from a few first years. Luna began to panic as she spun on her heel and headed back to the stairs. Wherever there was George, there was probably Fred not too close behind.

She had just coiled her hand around the railing of the steps leading to the upper level when she heard someone shout her name. Choosing to ignore the shout, Luna abandoned the stairs and rushed to the opposite end of the platform to seek refuge. Once she reached the edge she slipped in a puddle of water and went leaning forward. Her feet had just left the platform when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against a strong chest. Unfortunately her sandwich wasn't so lucky and as soon as it hit the water a school of fish started to attack it.

"Well, there goes my lunch," Luna said mournfully.

"Just be thankful it wasn't you," Fred said with a laugh as Luna turned around to face him. "Now I may be imagining things, but were you trying to avoid me?"

"And failing," Luna grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. "From what I hear, when a girl tells a boy she's not interested, he usually gives her some breathing room."

"I remember telling you I don't give up though," he said smugly. "Besides telling me you love me is kind of showing interest."

"I didn't say I was _in _love with you," Luna argued.

Fred just shrugged his shoulders and continued to smile at her. Luna was a terrible liar and he could probably see right through her. She was desperately in love with him, but the second she admitted it she would regret it. There would no doubt be a lot of touching and kissing when that happened and with touching and kissing came unpleasant feelings and memories.

"So, have you and George been able to get your money back?" Luna asked. "I saw him betting with some first years a moment ago."

"No," Fred sighed. "First years are better gamblers than we give them credit for."

"Hm," Luna hummed as her eyes scanned the crowd.

"Am I not holding your interest?" Fred asked.

"Not exactly," Luna shrugged. "I'm hungry, so unless you have some kind of food with you, you're not that interesting."

"Ouch," Fred winced as he grabbed his side theatrically. "That stung, Lovegood."

Luna let an involuntary giggle bubble from her lips. Instead of grinning proudly that she had laughed at his joke he just smiled at her serenely. Feeling her face grow warm, Luna turned her head quickly to the side.

"I'm happy I can still make you laugh," he said as he lightly brushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

His hand traveled to the back of her neck where her long hair rested. Slowly he began to graze her hair before working his fingers through her golden curls. Other than a warm feeling in her chest Luna didn't feel anything, but as soon as his fingertips touched her neck she flinched away from his touch.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he stuffed his hand back in his pocket. "Just testing the waters."

"Well, you shouldn't," Luna said, looking up and into his brown eyes. "I'll know when it's all right. I'll _tell _you when it's all right. So, don't go touching me just to see if you can or not."

It seemed that Fred didn't have anything to say to that so he looked out on to the lake. Luna turned around to face the same direction as him. The castle was directly in front of them and Luna found herself marking off certain landmarks in her head. The covered bridge, the forest, Hagrid's hut, the boathouse, and so on.

"What does it feel like when I touch you?" Fred asked.

"It feels like you're about to just… hurt me," Luna said slowly. "I know I was lucky and I know girls have had it much worse than me, but it still hurts. I think the fact that it makes me feel as if you're going to hurt me is the worst thing, because I don't want to think of you as being capable of that."

He didn't respond and Luna glanced over to look at him. His expression was hard to read, but his hands were clenched into fists.

"I'm sorry if that didn't make much sense," Luna apologized.

"No, I understand," he said, shaking his head. "It just gets me thinking about things."

"Like what?" Luna asked.

"Like how I probably am capable of hurting you," he said as he turned his head to look at her.

Anger and sadness weren't two emotions Luna would use to describe his expression. Remorseful was probably the best word to use. Just as Luna was about to ask him what exactly he meant a commotion started to occur on the center platform. The pair turned to see Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang emerging from the Black Lake.

"I should get to George and see how many people betted on Diggory," Fred said.

He then pushed his way through the crowd, leaving Luna feeling more alone and confused than ever.

Not to mention hungry.


	44. Friends

_021. Friends_

March had finally come along much to the relief of the students at Hogwarts. Though there was still a distinct chill in the air, the snow had melted and scarves had been retired until next winter. Spring was right around the corner, so students were outside a lot more than usual.

It was Saturday and a Hogsmeade visit was taking place. Students from all three schools were roaming around the small village talking excitedly with their friends about the next task in the Triwizard Tournament. The third and final task wouldn't take place until June, but that didn't stop everyone from gossiping.

Everyone was having a great time with their friends except Luna Lovegood. Ginny had gone off with her new boyfriend, Michael Corner, and Neville had stayed behind at the school to finish his Potions essay. Luna tried not to let this get the best of her, but her visit in Hogsmeade hadn't been that exciting so far. A group of Slytherin girls had called her some rude names and a few boys had asked her if she would like to "tend to their wands".

All by herself she was a walking target to teasing. Luna honestly thought everything that had happened at the Yule Ball had been forgotten, but then Andon had come back. Apparently there wasn't enough proof that he had actually attacked her since several witnesses said that Luna had left the Great Hall with him willingly. As soon as he came back to the castle he had dispersed a very well-rehearsed story in which Luna had done unspeakable things to him.

Ginny had sat down with her at breakfast one day and tried to tell her the entire fabricated story, but Luna begged her to stop somewhere between confessing her undying love for Andon and doing rather scandalous things to his… "wand". Ever since the story had been released it seemed that her friends really were the only people she could rely on other than staff, but Fred had been distant ever since the Second Task.

They still ate lunch together and took walks around the grounds, but he never seemed like he was really there. Countless times Luna had tried to bring up the comment he had made at the Black Lake about him being capable of hurting her, but he had just brushed her off every time.

So now here she was strolling down the main street of Hogsmeade and trying desperately to ignore the glances and whispers directed at her. She was just about to turn back when a familiar voice reached her ears from her left. Instantly Luna quickened her pace but a hand enclosed roughly around her arm and pulled her aside.

"Ah, there you are, sveetheart," Andon said smugly as he grinned down at her. "I've missed you so much."

Breathing didn't seem possible as Luna froze on the spot. Andon was surrounded by his Durmstrang friends and all of them were looking at her with cocky eyes. Luna brought her attention back to Andon who was now walking even more toward her. He was unbearably close and the hand around her arm only tightened.

"Let's go somevhere a little more private, hm?" he proposed.

His friends laughed and started to walk away, each one slapping Andon on the shoulder as they went. Without another word Andon was pulling Luna across the street. She tried her best to fight him and pleaded for help with anyone they passed, but everyone just looked at her blankly. It seemed that the rumor was now a fact in their minds and they just assumed Luna was back for more.

Once they reached a deserted alley a ways away from the village Andon shoved her against the brick wall and stood back to look at her.

"You vere a lot prettier at the Yule Ball," he said, walking toward her and placing his hand along the slope of her neck.

Luna let an involuntary whimper escape her lips as she flinched away from him. He put his hand to her neck once more but this time gripping it firmly.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Luna pleaded as she tried to escape from his grasp.

His response was to slap her across the face and look at her with disgust. He gripped her neck once more and clamped his other hand on her thigh.

"You made a fool of me," he growled. "Vy did you lie, Luna?"

"I didn't lie," she said, her throat was starting to constrict and she knew air was running low.

Before Andon could touch her anymore or say anything else, Luna had shoved her hand into her pocket and encircled her hand around her wand. She had never used a Stunning Spell before, but she knew the incantation.

"_Stupefy!_" Luna managed to choke out at she pointed her wand at Andon's abdomen.

The spell wasn't that strong, but it was enough to get Andon to stumble backward and hit his head against the brick wall behind him. Luna took this moment to dash out of the alley and toward the main street of Hogsmeade. The chilly air filling her lungs was very much welcome as she ran down the street and toward the Three Broomsticks. Once she reached the pub she flung open the door and scanned along the bar for a professor.

Professor McGonagall was chatting with Professor Sprout at the end of the bar. Luna immediately walked toward them and supported herself against a stool as she tried to catch her breath.

"Ex- Excuse me, Professors," Luna gasped as she clutched her chest.

"Miss Lovegood?" Professor McGonagall said seemingly startled at the out of breath girl. "What's wrong? Are you all- Wh- Why is your wand out?"

"In the deserted alley off the main road," Luna said once she caught her breath. "I stunned him, because he was yelling at me and strangling me and you can give me detention, but please just keep him away from me."

Tears were starting to trickle down her cheeks as she continued to look at Professor McGonagall pleadingly. McGonagall placed a hand tenderly on Luna's shoulder before turning to Professor Sprout.

"Pomona, I'm off to go make sure someone stays out of our school," she said briskly as she got to her feet. "I was against bringing him back from the very beginning."

"As was I," Professor Sprout agreed.

Luna watched as Professor McGonagall marched out of the pub before she looked at all of the faces looking at her. Some people seemed skeptical, but most of them look at her with compassion and sympathy.

"Luna, dear, are you all right?" Professor Sprout asked.

Turning her attention to the Herbology professor, Luna gave a firm nod before stuffing her wand back into her pocket.

"I'll be fine," Luna assured as she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt.

She then turned around and quickly exited the pub. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breathing was still a little shaky, but other than that she felt fine. If Andon was finally punished for his behavior then he wouldn't have the chance to hurt Luna or any other girl again. People were still looking at her suspiciously, but Luna didn't pay them any mind as she headed down the street and back toward the school.

Once she was walking up the path back to the castle she heard her name being called out. Turning around, Luna saw Fred running toward her. He began to outstretch his arms as if to embrace her, but at the last second he stuffed his hands into his pockets and stood in front of her awkwardly.

"What happened?" he asked.

"He barely touched me," Luna said. "I stunned him before he could do anything."

"You stunned him?" Fred questioned, a grin forming on his face.

"It wasn't very good, but it gave me the opportunity to run," she said, giving a small shrug of her shoulders.

"I never should have listened to you when you said you wanted to shop by yourself," he said.

"I was trying to find you a good birthday present," Luna said. "Fred, I'm fine. I'm okay."

He looked at her testily before shaking his head.

"Don't blame yourself," Luna said as she took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers together.

"I'm not," he denied. "I'm just angry with myself."

Luna let out a small sigh as she shook her head. There wasn't any arguing with him sometimes. She looked down at their hands and smiled softly. It was impossible to predict something so small could feel so right.

"Fred," Luna said as she peered up into his brown eyes.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking down at her.

"I'm holding your hand," she said softly, giving his hand a small squeeze.

Fred looked at her blankly before his eyes darted down to look at their entwined hands. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it soon after. Smiling at her he moved his other hand toward her cheek, but Luna intercepted it with her own.

"Baby steps," Luna said.

"So we're together or…?" he trailed off.

"Friends," Luna stated.

"Right," Fred said dejectedly. "Of course."

"For now," Luna added as a small smile formed on her lips.

Fred seemed to perk up at this news and Luna couldn't help but giggle at his eager manner.

"There are still things I want to know about you, Fred," Luna said. "Things I need to know."

Instead of automatically saying that he would tell her anything right then and there like Luna had anticipated, Fred just nodded his head.

"I guess there are things I want to know about you as well," he admitted.

He then gestured with his hand in the direction of the school and Luna gave a nod as they began to head toward the castle with their hands clasped together and walking very close to one another.


	45. Sixth Sense

_035. Sixth Sense_

At one minute past midnight on April 1st Fred Weasley was disrupted from his deep sleep by his mattress sinking in slightly. Groaning, Fred cracked his eyes open to see what was going on. It took him a few long moments for his mind to defog, but soon enough he was able to see the cause of his wakening.

"Merlin, Luna, what are you-?" Fred started before a small hand was clamped over his mouth.

"Shh," the petite girl hushed. "You'll wake everyone up."

Luna gave him a warning glance before removing her hand from his mouth. The pair sat in silence for a few moments just looking at each other. Fred was still trying to comprehend what was going on. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark and he could make out Luna sitting on her knees at the end of his bed looking at him happily. Instead of wearing her usual flannel pajamas she was wearing a pair of short cotton shorts and what appeared to be one of his school shirts along with the necklace he had gotten her and the usual radish earrings.

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" he asked.

"Nope," Luna said shaking her head vigorously, blonde curls flying everywhere. "I just wanted to be the first person to wish you a happy birthday. I have to add though, Fred, you have a terrible sixth sense. You didn't stir until I was actually on the bed."

"Well excuse me," he mumbled.

There was no possible way he wasn't dreaming. Having the girl he was madly in love with in his bed on his birthday wearing one of his shirts was definitely dream material. If it wasn't a dream then he was the luckiest bloke in this entire school.

He could only think of one way to test it though.

Without wasting another second Fred placed a hand behind Luna's neck and leaned forward to kiss her. She wasn't giving up a fight or stopping the kiss, so it must be Dream Luna. He was a little ashamed to admit that he had been having dreams about Luna. Dreams that weren't exactly the most appropriate, but after the Yule Ball it was a bit difficult to not have them.

This dream was different than the others. First of all it felt much more real and second of all the kiss was feeling very simple. Unsatisfyingly simple. Well it was his dream, so he could probably turn it up a notch.

Grabbing her bottom he broke the kiss slightly and brought her body closer to him. "I want you so much."

Dream Luna would usually respond in a very different way than what he got. A small squeak escaped from Luna's lips and she snatched a pillow from behind him before whacking him over the head with it.

"Fred!" Luna said as she tried and failed to keep her voice low. "What did I tell you about baby steps?"

"Sorry," Fred said as he gingerly pried his pillow from her fingers. "I thought I was dreaming."

"I told you that you weren't dreaming," Luna huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Well, love, when you come into my bed in the middle of the night dressed like that it's a little hard to think of it as real," he sighed. "Where did you get one of my shirts from?"

"Your floor," Luna shrugged. "I was wearing my robe on the way here, but I didn't realize I wasn't wearing a shirt until I was at the Fat Lady. It seemed pointless to go back, so I just took one of yours."

Fred certainly wasn't complaining. Her shorts didn't even go halfway to her knees and his shirt looked a lot better on her than it ever had on him.

"How did you get the password?" Fred asked before realizing the answer. "Ginny."

Luna nodded in confirmation and he just continued to look at her. He was finally able to confirm that this wasn't a dream. Luna Lovegood had actually come to him in the middle of the night risking detention just to wish him a happy birthday before anyone else could. Her intentions were entirely pure (much to his disappointment), but the gesture just served as another reason to be in love with her.

"How did you know this was my bed?" Fred questioned.

"I have a very keen sixth sense," Luna said bluntly. "You apparently don't."

"You mentioned that," Fred mumbled. "So, are you planning on going back now or are you staying?"

"Oh, I'm going now," she said happily. "Happy 17th birthday, Fred."

Her legs had just slid off of the bed when he instinctively grabbed her elbow and pulled her to his chest. They fell back softly on to his mattress and Luna peered at him looking rather annoyed.

"Baby steps, Fred," Luna said.

"Lu, if you're going to come to me at midnight just to wish me happy birthday I think we're on to toddler steps at least," Fred said, smirking at her.

A comeback couldn't even be voiced because Fred had wrapped a long arm around Luna's waist and captured her lips with his. They were both on their sides with their legs tangled together and chests just inches apart. The kiss had started off rather simple but Fred was slowly putting more and more weight on to Luna.

Soon he had her lying on her back and one of his knees was wedged between her legs. It was so easy to get ridiculously lost in her. Every single one of his senses (except for the apparently nonexistent sixth one) was filled with her and he relished every second of it. He had no idea why she was suddenly letting him kiss her so fervently since hugging had been the extent a week ago, but he wasn't too concerned with the details at that moment.

"Fred," Luna's voice reached him as she broke free from his lips momentarily.

"Yeah?" he answered, his mouth now finding a new home on her neck.

"Did you mean it when you said you wanted me?" she asked.

"Definitely," he confirmed.

"One more question," she continued.

"Go ahead," he allowed, one hand cupping her hip and the other losing itself in her blonde curls.

"At the Second Task," she started. "What did you mean when you said you were capable of hurting me?"

The question hit him like a ton of bricks as he separated his lips from her neck and came back to eye level with her. Her expression was calm, but he could tell that she was anxiously awaiting his answer. Their conversation a week ago about her wanting to know things about him before they were together was starting to replay in his mind.

He was very capable of hurting her. She was only fourteen years-old, three years his junior. He could hurt her in so many ways, but the way he was doing right now was probably the most prominent. His want for her was mostly physical at the moment and he knew that he would go too far. He also knew that if he went too far Luna wouldn't stop him.

"Luna, I-," Fred started.

"Well, what do we have here?"

The curtain surrounding Fred's bed was soon pulled back and both Fred and Luna looked to see George and Lee looking at them smugly. Fred instantly got off of Luna and sat on the far end of the bed. Luna did the same looking far more nervous than Fred. A quick glance at Fred was all it took to see that he was actually quite amused by the situation.

"I'm not surprised that you're not that familiar with snogging, Lee," Fred said as he grinned at his two best friends.

"Oh, I know what was going on, but I wasn't exactly sure it was happening," Lee said.

"Yeah, I'm pretty surprised you were actually able to persuade a girl into your bed," George added. "Granted she is a third year, but I'm still impressed."

"Actually I came here on my own," Luna said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Just to wish him happy birthday."

The grins of their faces only widened as they turned their attention to Luna.

"Wish him happy birthday?" George questioned. "Wow, Freddie, that was some present."

"I'm a little jealous," Lee snickered.

"Sod off," Fred groaned.

This only seemed to amuse them even more as they both started to laugh loudly. After several more jokes about robbing the cradle and a wedding somewhere in the near future they were both walking back to their beds and wiping tears of laughter from their eyes.

"They're not very funny are they?" Luna noted as she sat with her legs crossed on his bed while he closed the curtains back.

"Not at all," Fred chuckled as he sat down next to her. "You can take my bed and I'll sleep on the couch in the common room."

"Is that what you want?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "I would love to stay with you here."

"All right then," Luna said as she pushed gently against his chest.

Her shove was terribly weak, but he played along and fell back on the bed with his head hitting the pillow. Luna then placed her head on his chest and snuggled into his side before grabbing the blankets and covering them.

"Luna, you don't have to do this," he said, but he was already working an arm under her so he could hold her close to him.

"Honestly, Fred, we're onlysleeping," Luna sighed. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," he murmured against her hair.

Soon she was fast asleep and he felt his own eyes start to droop. Fred's last conscious thought was that if he could fall asleep with her in his arms every night he would be a very content and happy man.


	46. Spring

_062. Spring_

"Fred, do friends usually do this much kissing?" Luna asked.

"Oh, most definitely," Fred replied.

Luna knew for a fact that he was lying. Just a few days prior she had asked Ginny if kissing was something friends did and she had given her a flat-out "no". Bringing this information up though would most likely cause Fred to stop his assault on her neck, so she let it slide.

Spring had finally arrived and school would be over at the end of next month. Luna had yet to tell Fred that her father had surprised her with an entire summer trip on an extended Crumple-Horned Snorkack expedition and she wouldn't be able to see him until August 31st. Which would be highly unlikely since that was the day she would need to buy all of her school supplies.

Focusing on the present was probably a better idea and throughout the past month she couldn't remember one meaningful conversation she had exchanged with Fred. Nowadays it usually went along the lines of a simple greeting and then lots and lots of kissing. He hadn't taken her request to get to know each other seriously at all.

The pair was currently sitting by the Black Lake in the warm spring air getting several whistles and shouts from random passersby.

"I thought I said that before we become a couple we needed to get to know each other first," Luna pointed out.

"We _are _getting to know each other," Fred said, grinning at her wolfishly and pressing his forehead against hers. "I know for a fact that you're ticklish behind your left knee, you never open your eyes while snogging, and you always prefer I kiss the left side of your neck rather than the right."

"What's my favorite color?" Luna asked.

"Blue," he responded. "Mine?"

"Red," she stated.

"Right you are. Favorite food?"

"Anything and everything."

"And you adore pudding."

"Animal?"

"Hares."

"You like wolves," Luna sighed.

"Lu, I've known you for nearly three years," Fred laughed. "I _know _you."

She still wasn't convinced. Maybe springtime was just snogging season or maybe he was trying to avoid the questions that she wanted answers to. He was afraid to tell her things. If they were going to finally be together then he was going to have to come clean about everything.

"Fred, what's my mother's name?" she asked.

"I… don't know that one," he said softly.

Finally she was getting to him.

"Her name was Meara," Luna said, giving him a small smile. "If you don't know something like that then how can you say that you know me?"

"Well, you never told me," he said, shaking his head.

"You never asked," she countered. "You still have yet to answer me on the question I've asked you dozens of times. What did you mean when you said you were capable of hurting me?"

Fred placed a hand on her knee as he looked at her intently. His thumb started to move across her bare skin as he continued to stare at her. Luna was slowly beginning to feel scrutinized and uncomfortable. She shifted awkwardly on the grass and tried to move her knee out of his grasp, but his hold on it only tightened.

Questioning words couldn't even escape her lips as he pushed her down on to the ground. Luna's back hit the dirt hard and a wave of pain echoed through her body. The pain couldn't completely be recognized though because Fred had covered her lips with his mouth and started to kiss her hungrily. He had never kissed her like this before and it wasn't exactly a welcome change.

His tongue pushed between her teeth and swept across the inside of her mouth while his hands grabbed her hips roughly. Luna tried to push him away with her hand, but he grabbed both of her wrists and easily held them above her head with one of his hands. Fred's mouth moved to the right side of her neck and he bite down on the skin eliciting a small whimper from Luna.

The hand that didn't have her wrists in a death grip was moving away from her hip and under her skirt. His hand grasped her bottom roughly and pulled her up to him. Luna gasped and her eyes widened as she felt his desire press against her.

"Fred, _stop_," Luna said sternly as she tried to move away from him. "Stop it, now."

He didn't need to be told twice as he released his hold on her and sat back on the grass with his hands held in the air. Luna sat back up and inched away from him slowly before looking at him. He was breathing heavily, his eyes were much darker than usual, and Luna could distinctly see the tent that had formed in the front of his trousers.

"That's how I can hurt you," he said. "Do you think I would be able to stop if I hadn't been doing that on purpose?"

"On purpose?" Luna squeaked.

"I was doing that to show you," he explained. "Luna, if I was doing that on just instinct and if we were in a more secluded area then you wouldn't be able to stop me. I would've had my way with you twice by now."

Fred's words completely shocked Luna. Despite everything he was saying about him "having his way with her" there was an underlying message that was hurting a lot more.

"The way you're talking… it sounds like you've…" Luna trailed off before looking at him desperately.

"That's right, Lu," he said with a nod. "While you were almost getting raped twice, I was off shagging girls in broom cupboards."

"Oh, well that's…" Luna started. "It's none of my business, really."

"I haven't touched any other girl after I told you that I loved you," Fred assured.

"Since the Yule Ball or Valentine's Day?" Luna asked.

"Valentine's Day," Fred admitted. "You were right, Lu. We really should get to know each other first. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to take care of."

He stood up looking highly uncomfortable before gazing down at the bulge in his pants.

"Unless you would just like to help me now," he suggested.

"Wh-What?" Luna spluttered as her face turned a violent red.

"Yeah, I can also be a complete arse," he added.

No more words were spoken as he left her sitting by the Black Lake. Spring had never felt so cold before.


	47. Earth

_053. Earth_

Review for finals was beginning and the Third Task in the Triwizard Tournament was just around the corner. Summer was also arriving in less than a month and the excitement at the school was undeniable. All of Luna's roommates were talking about what boys they were going to go on dates with and how much shopping they were going to do. Luna felt significantly left out since her entire summer was booked with the Crumple-Horned Snorkack expedition she would be on with her father.

The trip was something she was looking forward to and Ginny and Neville were both really excited for her, but she had yet to tell the person who mattered most. Ever since Fred had practically attacked her at the Black Lake things had been awkward between the two of them. Some days were fine, but most days she was finding it hard to focus.

It really was none of her business that Fred had already "shagged" a good number of the girls at Hogwarts, but with this new information she was noticing some things that were bothering her. A sixth year Hufflepuff girl had given him their assignment for Charms class since he had skipped class that day. Normally this wouldn't seem like a big deal, but there was something in the way that the girl looked at him that seemed a little off. It almost looked possessive.

Fred had been more than open about every sexual escapade he had partaken in. To him it was all a part of the "getting to know each other" process. Luna was honestly regretting her decision once the number of girls ended at 12.

"Oh, well that's…" Luna started as she scratched her head. "That's a lot, isn't it?"

"Not as bad as George," Fred shrugged. "He's up to twenty, easy."

It was the last Hogsmeade visit of the year and the pair was spending the entire day together. Word had traveled fast across the school that they were dating despite Luna saying it wasn't true. They weren't a couple and she couldn't see it happening anytime soon.

"Twelve girls," Luna sighed. "You're the only boy I've ever kissed, well willingly, of course. Fred you've had… _sex _with all of those girls."

"It's not that big of a deal," he shrugged. "I didn't love any of those girls, so don't worry."

"So, you only have sex with them if you don't love them?" Luna questioned.

"Well, I used to," he admitted. "I love you, don't I? I'm not going to go flower picking just yet."

"_Flower picking_?" Luna asked unbelievingly. "Is that what you call taking my virginity?"

Several people were now giving amused looks in their direction. Luna couldn't have cared less. He made something as serious as sex sound like a daily activity. This was a very sacred topic to Luna since she cherished her virginity.

"Lu, will you calm down?" Fred said nervously. "You're making a scene."

"Since when do I care if I'm making a scene?" Luna asked. "You're talking like _you're_ going to be the one to take my virginity. Oh, I'm sorry, my 'flower'."

"Oh, well I just assumed…" Fred trailed off.

"You just assumed that you're the only man on Earth I would want to give my virginity to," Luna stated.

"Is there someone else?" he asked heatedly, now completely uncaring of the attention they were gaining. "Is there another guy you would prefer?"

"Well, no," Luna admitted. "But I'm fourteen, Fred. You make it sound as if we're going to be doing it tomorrow."

"I would never take you when you're just fourteen," Fred argued.

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?" she asked.

"Fifteen, but that's beside the-," he started.

"That's just a year away for me!" Luna cried.

Before she could get another syllable out Fred grabbed her hand and pulled her off the main road. Once they were in a secluded area he turned to her and opened his mouth to speak. A sound hadn't left his throat when Luna clutched the front of his jacket and pulled him down to her level before pressing her lips against his. Though taken off guard Fred was able to reciprocate quickly to the kiss.

Looping an arm around her tiny waist Fred lifted her off of the ground while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Soon the kiss was broken and Luna pressed her forehead against his. He gave her a wide smile before bringing her back to Earth.

"That was the first time you've ever kissed me," he noted.

"I just… wanted to," Luna said.

Fred took a step forward and cupped her face in his hands. Tilting her head up to look at him, Fred took a breath and started to tell her what he had been meaning to for a while.

"I have no intention of simply 'picking your flower'," he explained. "Honestly I can't think of anything more insulting. Those other girls don't matter, they've all moved on and so have I. I am completely committed to you, Luna. When I take you it's going to be when you say it's all right and if I'm not the one to take you, then I sincerely hope he doesn't hurt you."

Luna's heart was pounding so quickly in her chest she thought it was going to burst right through her ribcage. She opened her mouth to speak, but he pressed his thumb against her lips to silence her.

"I'm sorry about what happened at the Black Lake," he continued. "It will _never _happen again."

He nodded to signify that he was finished and Luna released a breath she wasn't even aware of holding. There were so many things she wanted to say, but it seemed impossible to voice them.

"I want you to be the one to take me," she said. "Only you. But until I say so I want my flower to stay rooted to the Earth. _Rooted_, Fred Weasley."

Fred let out a laugh at her threat and nodded in complete understanding.

"I do not want to be ripped from the Earth," she went on.

"Never," Fred said shaking his head.

"Plucked is not an option either."

"Why would it be?"

"I want to be taken from the Earth and put into a nice flowerpot."

"I have no idea where you're going with this analogy," Fred laughed.

Luna gave out a small giggle as she shook her head showing that she had no idea what she was talking about either. An easy silence overtook them as Fred slowly took both of Luna's hands in each of his. Pressing his forehead against hers he looked at her determinedly.

"Does this mean we're together?" he asked. "Unless you have some deep, dark secret you need to share."

"No deep, dark secret," Luna said, shaking her head. "Fred I don't want to start anything so close to summer."

"We'll see each other over summer break," he assured. "Every day."

"I'm leaving with my father for the entire summer," Luna shared. "I won't be able to see you until September 1st."

He looked rather dejected, but he took it a lot better than she thought he would.

"Friends until September 1st," Fred nodded.

"Sorry for making you wait," Luna apologized.

"I've been waiting years for you, Luna Lovegood," he said easily. "What's a couple of months?"


	48. Red

_011. Red_

Luna Lovegood was trying (and failing) to be discreet as she listened in on the conversation happening in the train compartment she was standing outside of. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had already left the compartment and Luna was waiting on Fred, George, and Harry Potter to exit next, but apparently they had stayed behind.

The entire train ride Luna had sat with Neville and Ginny since Fred was spending time with his brother. Almost all of the school year Fred had stayed at Luna's side and it was plain to see that he missed his twin brother. She had insisted on him sitting with him and it didn't take much convincing for Fred to go compartment hunting with George.

"You're mental," George's voice said.

"No, I'm not," Luna didn't recognize this voice so she assumed it was Harry Potter's. "You take it, and get inventing. It's for the joke shop."

Joke shop? That was something Luna had never heard Fred and George mention before.

"He _is _mental," Fred's voice said.

"Listen," Harry Potter said. "If you don't take it, I'm throwing it down the drain. I don't want it and I don't need it. But I could do with a few laughs. We could all do with a few laughs. I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than usual before long."

"Harry, there's got to be a thousand Galleons in here," George said.

"Yeah, think how many Canary Creams that is," Harry Potter said.

Canary Creams? Now Luna was just downright confused.

"Uh, Luna," a tentative voice said from behind her as she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Luna turned around and saw Neville looking at her worriedly. She gave him a questioning look and he pointed at three Slytherin boys lying on the floor in front of the compartment with hex marks all over them.

"It wasn't me," Luna shrugged.

"Right, well have a good summer, Luna," Neville said.

"I hope you have a nice one as well," Luna said dreamily as Neville stepped over the Slytherin boys.

Before she could continue listening in on the conversation happening inside the compartment the door opened and a skinny, dark-haired boy stepped out. He looked down at the Slytherin boys before he noticed Luna.

"Hello," Luna greeted.

"Er, hi," he said awkwardly as he stepped over the Slytherin boys.

"Have a good summer," Luna said.

"You too," he said before walking speedily toward the exit.

She didn't have to wait long until Fred and George exited the compartment, both looking into a bag with wonder on their faces.

"I can't believe he actually gave this to us," George said as he reached into the bag and extracted a Galleon.

"Me neither," Fred said as he looked at the Galleon George was holding with pure wonder in his eyes.

"Yes, but why would he?" Luna pondered, peering into the bag George was holding.

"I'm not too sure to be- Merlin, where did she come from?" George exclaimed as he closed the bag.

George and Fred looked at Luna with bewilderment as the Slytherin boys at their feet started to stir. Looking from the Slytherins to the bag in his hand to Luna, George turned on his heel and started to walk toward the exit just like Harry Potter had done moments before. Fred on the other hand was still a little startled by her sudden appearance but recovered quickly. He took her hand in his and the two began to walk toward the exit.

Once off the train Fred stopped walking and spun around to face Luna.

"A joke shop? Canary Creams?" Luna bombarded before he could get a word out.

"George and I have been… experimenting," Fred shrugged. "We came up with some really great stuff, but we got all of our money cheated out of us by Ludo Bagman. Harry gave us his Triwizard winnings so we could, well open a joke shop."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Luna asked.

"I didn't want you to get worried," he admitted. "I know that your mum died by experimenting with spells and I didn't want you to…"

"Worry?" Luna offered.

Fred gave an awkward nod before smiling down at her. It was hard not to smile back and Luna felt that at that moment she fully recognized his love for her. It wasn't smothering or fake, it was simple and real. Luna felt her face start to heat up and she knew her face was probably red.

"I know running a joke shop isn't the most respectable career," Fred said. "There are tons of Ministry jobs that are a lot more stable and…"

"Boring?" Luna offered once more. "To tell you the truth I want to be a naturalist. Not exactly the most stable job, but it's what I want to do. So, if you want to run a joke shop with George then I think that's perfect."

It seemed that the proper response to this was to place his hand on the curve of her neck and press a kiss to her lips. Luna leaned into the kiss slightly before he pulled back and shook his head.

"Someone's a little anxious," he teased.

Luna felt her face heat once more and he gave out a small laugh.

"I love that color on you," he commented.

"Purple?" Luna questioned as she looked down at her purple shirt.

"No, red," Fred said, placing a hand on her cheek to make sure she got his meaning.

"Very funny," Luna said rolling her eyes.

Fred was about to make a comeback when something caught his attention. He turned his head and based on the expression on his face Luna could tell that something wasn't quite right. Turning her head in the same direction she saw the entire Weasley family and her father all standing there looking at them with very different expressions.

Ginny looked smug, Ron looked confused, George was shaking his head, and Mr. Weasley didn't exactly know how to process what he was seeing. Mrs. Weasley on the other hand was dabbing her eyes on a handkerchief and looking at Xenophilius Lovegood like she would a new family member. Xenophilius himself was too busy looking at an invisible creature floating around his head.

"I think we should run," Fred suggested.

"Good idea," Luna agreed.

The two were about to run for it when Mrs. Weasley rushed toward them and threw her arms around both of them.

"Oh, my little Freddie has a little girlfriend!" she cried as she pulled back to examine Luna. "A very _young _girlfriend."

"Luna isn't my girlfriend," Fred said.

"Stop trying to cover it up," Mrs. Weasley said as she shook a finger at Fred. "We saw you kiss her."

"That doesn't mean she's my girlfriend," Fred argued.

These appeared to be the last words Molly Weasley wanted to hear as her jovial expression turned to a steely one. Her lips were pressed together and Luna thought her head was about to explode since her face was turning a violent red.

"Why would you go around kissing girls who aren't your girlfriend?" she shrieked. "I thought we raised you better than that!"

"Actually Mrs. Weasley, I was the one who suggested we don't start dating until next school year," Luna interjected. "I felt that it wouldn't be very smart to start a relationship when we wouldn't see each other all summer. I'll be gone with my father for the entire summer, you see."

Molly Weasley turned to face Luna and her angry face turned to one of joy and acceptance. She opened up her arms and enveloped Luna into a crushing hug before pulling back to inspect her.

"Oh, Freddie, you picked a good one!" she exclaimed. "She may be younger than you, but her maturity makes up for it, I think."

"Why, of course," a dreamy voice agreed.

The trio turned around to see that Xenophilius Lovegood had graced them with his presence. It seemed that his attention was still focused on the invisible creature around his head, but he turned to Luna with a smile.

"I hope you had a wonderful school year, my Luna," he said as he outstretched his arms so wide it looked like he was about to take flight.

Luna did the same and the two stepped toward each other before collapsing their arms around the other.

"I had a lovely school year, father," she said.

"Fantastic," he said with a large smile. "Now, I suppose we'll be off. The Crumple-Horned Snorkack shall be waiting for us."

"I thought the Crumple-Horned Snorkack waited for no one," Fred interrupted.

Xenophilius, Luna, and Molly all looked at him with surprised looks on their faces. Fred shrugged and began to scratch the back of his neck nervously.

"That's just what you said before," he said nervously.

"Right you are, dear boy," Xenophilius confirmed. "Now, Luna we really should be-."

"I think we should give them some time to say goodbye," Molly said as she took Xenophilius's elbow and dragged him away from Fred and Luna.

"Sorry about my mum," Fred said.

"Sorry about my dad," Luna countered.

The two looked at each other briefly before Fred stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Luna.

"September 1st can't come fast enough," he mumbled into her hair.

"Agreed," Luna nodded as she pulled away to look up at him. "Can you kiss me just one more time?"

"You got it," he said quickly as his lips once again descended on to hers.

The kiss was longer than the first, but was still over too quickly. Still the pressure Fred had applied to Luna's lips was a lot more than usual and her lips were now a dull red.

"I'm so in love with you," he said, grinning down at her.

"I'm in lo-," Luna started.

"Luna, we really should be going!" Xenophilius shouted from the other side of the station.

"Well, that's my cue," Luna shrugged. "Write every chance you get."

"Of course," Fred said. "Have a great summer, Lu."

"You too, Fred," she said before standing on the tips of her toes, pressing a kiss to his chin, and then hurrying toward her father.


	49. Hours

_006. Hours_

Luna Lovegood was in a bad mood. The entire train ride to Hogwarts she was sitting in a compartment with Neville and Ginny, but also Harry Potter. This wasn't that terrible of a mixture until Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley joined in. Even then it wasn't that terrible until Hermione Granger insulted her father's magazine and dismissed the existence of the mighty Crumple-Horned Snorkack with a wave of her hand.

The feast was delicious as always, but the new Defense Against the Dark Arts talked for what seemed like hours about pointless things that she had little interest in. It had been a terribly long day and not a very good start to her fourth year at Hogwarts. She hadn't seen or heard from Fred all day and now she was traveling along with her fellow Ravenclaws to the common room to go to sleep.

Finally accepting that she would have to wait several hours before seeing Fred, Luna grudgingly followed the Ravenclaws until she heard someone call her name. Since she was the last person in line it wasn't hard to make out who was calling after her. Turning around, Luna couldn't help but smile as Fred Weasley made his way toward her. Instantly Luna felt as if she could put all of her troubles behind her as she walked quickly in his direction.

"Oh, I missed you," Fred said as he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her into the air.

Luna wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled broadly at him. It had been months since she had last seen Fred, but with him there in that moment it only felt like a few hours had gone by.

"I missed you too," she said happily as he placed her feet back on the ground.

Fred looked down at her and instead of grinning at her goofily as always he was staring at her with awe.

"Wow," he breathed.

"What is it?" Luna asked as she looked down at herself. "Is something wrong with my robes?"

"No, you just look so… different," he said.

"Is that bad?" Luna questioned nervously.

"Not at all," Fred said shaking his head. "I mean before you were beautiful, but now you're just _gorgeous_."

Luna instantly felt her face flush as she looked down at her shoes. No one ever called her beautiful, let alone gorgeous. Whenever Fred said the term it always seemed so genuine. It seemed that he really just saw her so differently than everyone else did.

Still feeling rather flustered Luna looked up at Fred to see if anything dramatic had happened in his appearance over the summer. Other than him getting even taller (something she didn't think was possible) he looked the exact same except for…

"Your hair," Luna stated excitedly as she pointed to his head.

A small smile came over his face as he shook his head.

"Mum chased us down this summer with a pair of scissors," he said, tugging on a strand of short, red hair. "She got to Ron easily enough, but it took her hours to find George and me."

"Well, good for her," Luna said happily. "It looks very nice."

Fred rolled his eyes and Luna let out a small giggle. She had missed him so much. Searching with her father and a small group of people for exotic animals like she did every summer was fun, but her thoughts were always occupied with Fred. He sent letters and she sent some in return. The letters were nice, but she missed his voice and his face and his touch. Her face started to warm up a bit at the last thought.

"What?" Fred asked smugly. "What did you just think about to make your face so red?"

"N-Nothing," Luna stuttered.

"It doesn't look like it was nothing," he teased, a wicked grin accompanying his face. "Come on, Lu, tell me."

"I was just thinking about the things about you that I missed over the summer," she admitted, trying to keep her voice nonchalant.

His eyebrow perked up at this and he took a step forward.

"Such as?" he asked.

"Your voice and your face," Luna shrugged. "Things like that."

"Uh-huh," he said slowly, still unconvinced. "Anything else?"

"Well, I did miss… never mind," Luna said quickly, her face heating up again.

Fred was still looking smug and Luna felt herself becoming more and more embarrassed with each passing second. It was obvious that he knew exactly what she was going to say, but was now just teasing her.

"You want to know what I missed about you?" he asked. "Everything."

"Oh," Luna said, giving a small nod.

"I could tell you anything I wanted in a letter, so communication wasn't too bad," he continued. "The one thing that really drove me mad was not being able to touch you."

It was hard to keep her brain clear as he kept walking toward her. Luna continued to walk away from him until her back was pressed against the stone wall. Her heart was pounding in her chest as he moved his face just an inch from hers.

"We spent the summer with a, uh, friend of the family," he said. "We were giving chores every day to do around the house so it was easy for my mind to wander a bit. Doing hours of cleaning was always better when I thought about you. When I thought about how I was going to snog you senseless the moment I saw you on September 1st."

Luna couldn't even process what he was saying because he was already placing his lips against hers. One of his hands was holding her waist and the other was weaving itself into her hair. Lightheadedness was easily achieved as Luna's knees became weak and her eyes closed. It seemed like hours had gone by and Luna was quite enjoying the kiss, but apparently Fred was unsatisfied.

Their kisses had never been particularly long, but this one seemed much lengthier than the others. The kisses had never been intense either so when Fred slid his tongue along Luna's bottom lip she was a bit taken aback. Luna tried to break the kiss to ask what he was doing, but Fred cupped her face and kept her lips to his. It was definitely one of those moments when she just had to trust what he was doing.

He continued the kiss and this time Luna didn't hesitate when he slid his tongue across her lips. Slowly she parted her lips and let his tongue slip into her mouth. The only other time he had put his tongue in her mouth was down at the Black Lake when he had been less than friendly toward her. That time it was completely intruding and harsh, but now it was entirely different. For once Fred was patient and smooth with his movements.

The patience didn't last long though and Fred was back to hurried movements. Luna surprised herself in actually wanting him to hurry up the movements. An entire summer of not being able to see him was beginning to catch up with her. Now their bodies were pressed ridiculously close together and they were both gripping to each other tightly as if they were going to fall off of the surface of the Earth.

The lack of breathing was becoming a problem though and the kiss was ended. Fred pressed his forehead against Luna's as she tried to catch her breath. It seemed that he was out of breath as well, but one look at the other was all it took for the couple to start laughing.

"That was so much better than I thought it would be," Fred admitted. "And believe me I thought about it often."

Luna nodded in agreement. She had been thinking of kissing him for so long or being touched by him and that had honestly beaten all of her expectations.

"So, can we make it official now?" Fred asked. "Can we officially be together?"

"Oh, defin-," Luna started.

"Hem hem," a small voice piped from behind them.

Fred and Luna turned to see a short, fat women dressed head to toe in pink with a nasty smile on her face.

"Don't you think you two are a little behind schedule to be in your common rooms?" she asked. "Technically the school term hasn't started yet, but otherwise I would have to give you two detention. You need as many hours of sleep for your first day of classes tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am," Fred said through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Luna asked.

Luna heard Fred snort while the pink lady just gave her a nasty smile.

"I'm Dolores Umbridge, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," she said. "Now off to bed."

Fred looked at Luna with a sad smile before pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Goodnight, love," he said.

"Goodnight," Luna said in turn before walking toward Ravenclaw Tower.


	50. Enemies

_022. Enemies _

School had been in process for a few weeks and it was obvious that something wasn't quite right. Ever since Harry Potter had claimed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back people were very turned against him. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor always spent healthy doses of her class time telling her students that everything Harry Potter was saying was a lie.

Luna wasn't sure what to believe. She didn't want to believe that You-Know-Who was back, but it seemed likely that he was. Cedric Diggory probably didn't just drop dead and everything Harry Potter was saying fit into what had happened the night of the Third Task. It was still hard to come to terms that Death Eaters were under the command of Lord Voldemort now and that everyone who wasn't a pureblood or half-blood was in danger.

This topic was what most people were talking about, but Luna had another dilemma on her mind. Was she dating Fred Weasley? It sure looked that way and with all of the hand holding and kissing it sure felt that way, but she wasn't entirely sure. They had never confirmed it officially and until that happened Luna felt that she should tell anyone who asked that they weren't together.

She was considering this detail very thoroughly as she sat across from Neville in the library. He was helping her with her Herbology homework, but this was proving difficult for him since she kept spacing out.

"Luna, you're going to chew right through your quill if you don't stop," Neville warned as he watched Luna gnaw on the end of it.

Looking down at the quill, Luna noticed that it was starting to bend and was covered in her saliva. Shrugging, Luna wiped it on her robes before putting the tip back to her blank parchment.

"I have no idea what to write about bubotuber pus," she admitted as she folded her arms on the table and placed her head on them. "I'm hopeless at Herbology."

"I think you would be a lot better if you just cleared your head," Neville advised. "You've been thinking about a lot of things lately, haven't you?"

"More like just one big thing," Luna said. "I don't know if I'm officially dating Fred."

"You don't know?" Neville asked incredulously. "I thought you two had been together since last year."

Luna popped her head up at this and perked an eyebrow at her friend across the table.

"What gave you that impression?" she asked.

"Well aside from all of the kissing and stuff," he started, his face turning a light shade of pink. "Whenever someone would make fun of you he would let them know that they had just made an enemy then list off a long list of threats in very vivid detail. Everyone thinks you two are together."

"We're not though," Luna said. "I don't think so at least."

Neville watched Luna closely before sighing and closing the Herbology textbook. He then began to put quills, books, parchment, and other homework supplies back into his bag.

"You need to go ask him and clear your mind before doing any homework," he said.

Luna looked questioningly at Neville to make sure he wasn't joking, but he soon nodded his head. Smiling widely, Luna walked to the other side of the table and threw her arms around Neville.

"Thanks Neville!" she said happily as she recoiled from him. "I'll find you later to get the rest of the answers for my homework."

"I'm not going to give you the answers, Luna," Neville said, but Luna was already rushing out of the library and to the Quidditch pitch to find Fred.

Fred had informed her that Quidditch practice was that afternoon for the Gryffindor team. His younger brother, Ron, was now the new Keeper and it was their first practice as a full team. It was a bit unnerving to watch the team practice though because Angelina Johnson had been made Captain that year. Luna hadn't heard anything about Angelina from Fred since the Yule Ball, but she was still concerned that the older girl might make Luna an enemy in her eyes.

When she reached the Quidditch pitch she noticed that all of the players were taking a break. Harry Potter was talking to Ron in a very comforting manner that led Luna to believe that his first practice didn't go very well. Angelina was talking with the two other Chasers, Katie and Alicia. Fred and George were doing very convincing impressions of what Ron looked like when he was trying to block the Quaffle.

Luna was about to go straight to Fred and George when she heard a dreadfully familiar voice call out her name.

"Over here, Luna!" Angelina called from the other side of the pitch.

Turning, Luna saw Angelina waving her arm at her. Looking in the other direction toward Fred it was plain to see that the last thing he wanted was for his ex-girlfriend to be conversing with Luna. Taking her chances and using much gusto, Luna started to walk briskly toward Angelina. It was probably better to get it over with quickly.

"Hi, Luna, how are you?" Angelina asked when Luna had approached her.

"I'm… fine," Luna said slowly, still unsure of what the other girl's intentions were.

"That's good," Angelina said before going into attack mode. "So, this year we really need to win the Quidditch Cup. It's my last year here and first year as Captain and I really want to win. If you could just do me a favor that would be great."

"Um, what's the favor?" Luna asked as she continued to be confused.

"Could you make sure Fred doesn't lose his focus on Quidditch?" Angelina said. "You two are basically attached at the hip and I really don't want you to become a distraction."

This comment caused the other two girls to start laughing. Looking around Angelina, Luna saw that Katie and Alicia were about to double over with fits of laughter.

"She already is a distraction for him, Ange," Katie said. "He never shuts up about her."

"That's so true," Alicia laughed. "It's like if we're not talking about Luna then there's nothing important to talk about."

Luna turned her attention back to Angelina as she started to talk again.

"I know you two are kind of in the 'honeymoon stage', but if you could move on to the next stage soon that would really help our game," she said.

"What's the 'honeymoon stage'?" Luna asked.

"Oh, you know when all you want to do is snog and you can only think of the other person," Angelina listed off.

Nodding in understanding was apparently all it took for Angelina to finally let Luna ask a question of her own.

"So, we're not enemies?" Luna asked.

"Well, unless you tried out for the Ravenclaw team this year, then no," Angelina said, shaking her head.

"But what about last year at the Yule Ball?" Luna asked, feeling frustrated. "Did you ever even like Fred?"

Angelina's face turned from a happy, informing one to a softer, gentler expression.

"Of course I did," she said. "But the entire night was spent with me watching Fred watch you. I called it off because I knew I was just getting in the way. I'm over him, so you can have him. Besides I kind of have my eye on someone else."

Luna followed Angelina's trail of vision to where Fred and George were now talking to Harry and Ron.

"You must think I'm terrible, going from one twin to the next, but there's just something about George," Angelina sighed and Luna looked back at her to see an easy smile had appeared on her face.

"I don't think you're terrible at all," Luna admitted. "I know exactly what you mean."

"He's always been there, but I was too busy noticing Fred," she continued. "Everyone thinks it's weird that I can tell the difference in their personalities, but I just _can_. Of all people I knew you would understand."

Looking at Angelina it was plain to see that the feelings she had for George were just as strong as the ones Luna had for Fred.

"Well, I'll make sure I won't distract him too much," Luna assured.

"Thanks, Luna," Angelina said.

Luna was about to make her way off of the Quidditch pitch when she heard Angelina call out to her one more time.

"I'm really happy we're not enemies!" Angelina shouted.

"Me too!" Luna agreed.

She then continued to walk off of the pitch, but now with a huge weight lifted from her chest.


	51. Air

_054. Air_

"Don't fall asleep on me," Fred laughed as he nudged Luna's head with his shoulder.

As usual the two were on top of the Astronomy Tower waiting for two o'clock. It had become something they were used to over the years and unlike the other times the weather was calm and there was no rotting stench in the air. This time Luna was nodding in and out of consciousness.

"I won't," she yawned.

Fred gave her a skeptical glance before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her even closer to him. Nuzzling into his side, Luna fought to keep her eyes open. The day hadn't gone that well for her. There had been a fifteen roll parchment essay due in Defense Against the Dark Arts and she had come up very short. Professor Umbridge was already rude to her, but with this on top of it she was just downright cruel.

Luna didn't have a clue why the new professor would single her out, but she refused to let it get to her. This was Fred's last year at Hogwarts and she was going to make sure it was the best one yet.

"This is the last time we're ever going to do this," Luna stated.

"Yeah, but I'll be staying up with you next year too," he assured. "Just not right next to you."

"That's a nice thought, but it won't be the same," Luna sighed.

The two sat in silence for a few more moments until Fred glanced at his watch and showed it to Luna. Only five more minutes until two o'clock, then Luna could sleep. This was usually the time when they talked about something very important and Luna found her mind going back to the topic she had been anxious to discuss with him. It was hard to bring it up though. What if he was convinced that they were together officially and she insulted him by asking?

So, Luna thought it best to ask another question.

"Do you think Harry Potter is telling the truth when he said that You-Know-Who is back?" she asked.

"Definitely," Fred said grimly. "I know for a fact. I wish I could tell you more, but I've been sworn to secrecy."

"I believe you," Luna said. "I believe that he's back as well."

"Too bad the Ministry doesn't," Fred said. "Then we could get a decent Defense teacher instead of that old toad who's teaching us nothing."

Luna let out a small giggle. He was right though, the only useful thing Luna was learning in Umbridge's class was how to perfect her doodling skills. It was good to know that Fred had the same views as her on that topic, but there was still the other one at hand. Taking a look at Fred's watch, Luna noticed that there was only one more minute until two o'clock. It was now or never.

"Fred, I have one more thing I need to say," Luna said. "There's something I need to know that will help me clear the air on a certain topic."

She took a deep breath at the same exact moment Fred looked at his watch and turned to her.

"Your parents just met," he announced as he flashed his watch at Luna.

"I'm in love with you," Luna said not paying any attention to his watch and looking him directly in the eyes.

Fred looked from his watch to her with his mouth open slightly. He looked significantly dumbfounded before a huge smile took over his face.

"Finally," he sighed. "I didn't think you were ever going to say it."

"Well, I wanted to," Luna said quickly. "I was always interrupted whenever I-."

This time it was Fred doing the interrupting as he cupped her face and brought her lips to his. Lightheadedness and a pounding heart weren't present that time, only a warm feeling surging throughout her body. She could finally say without any hesitation that she was in love with Fred Weasley. Soon Fred was pressing her back against the cold stone floor of the Astronomy Tower and her hands were clutching the fabric of the back of his t-shirt. Eventually lightheadedness overcame her again, but this time for a very different reason than usual.

"Air!" Luna gasped as she pried her lips from his. "Fred, I need air."

"You need to learn how to breathe through your nose," he laughed as he stood up and helped Luna to her feet as well.

Rolling her eyes, Luna took a deep breath and was finally going to address the topic when Fred clamped a hand over her mouth.

"I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is no," he stated. "We were never together. We aren't together, even now."

All of the air Luna had been holding was still staying occupied in her lungs. She had never been dating Fred Weasley. Even now they weren't together. It was easy to admit that this was the last thing she wanted to hear. His answer had basically ripped her in two.

It appeared that Fred had completely understood her feelings at that moment. He stepped toward her and undid the clasp of the necklace he had given her for her birthday. Taking the necklace from around her neck he shoved it in his pocket before looking down at her with a half smirk on his face.

Without a moment's hesitation Fred got down on his left knee and took the necklace out of his pocket and held it out in front of her.

"Fred, what are you doing?" Luna asked.

"After knowing you for three years and being madly in love with you for a very large portion of that time I thought it would be best if I did this formally," he said. "Luna Lovegood, would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend? Officially."

"That's a bit serious for you, isn't it?" Luna asked as she stifled a giggle.

"I just wanted my intentions to be perfectly clear," he said, giving her an easy smile. "So, what do you say?"

Luna pretended to think about it before returning his smile. "I would be honored to have you as my boyfriend, Fred Weasley."

Standing up, Fred motioned for Luna to turn around. She did just that and watched as the heart-shaped pendant with the sleeping hare on it lay against her heart. Fred brushed her hair aside to one shoulder as he clasped the necklace back together. Turning back around, Luna was about to propose they head back to the Astronomy Tower when she noticed the expression on Fred's face. It was one of peace and calmness; two things Luna had never seen from Fred before. The air trapped in her lungs escaped as she took one of his hands in hers.

"I can't believe you're actually mine," he said. "I've wanted you for so long and now, finally, you're mine."

"I've always been yours," Luna said as she took a step toward him and wrapped her arms around him. "Now just promise me one thing."

"Anything," Fred said.

"Never act this serious again," Luna said.

Fred let out a loud laugh and Luna knew that he hadn't turned into some kind of over-the-top romantic. He was still her Fred and that was all that mattered.


	52. Midnight

_097. Midnight_

The past few weeks had been spent with Luna Lovegood being covered in a glow of extreme happiness. Nothing could bring her down. No teacher or bully could possibly disturb her mood. She was Fred Weasley's girlfriend and everything was perfect because of that.

Well everything except for her stomach growling in the middle of the night. It was 11 something-o'clock on a Wednesday night and every other girl in her dorm was fast asleep. Luna had been asleep as well, but her stomach had started to clench and growl in hunger and she was now lying awake in bed. She had skipped dinner to study Herbology with Neville (she was still horrible at the subject) and whenever she skipped a meal it always felt like she hadn't eaten in weeks.

Sighing, Luna slipped out of bed and looked for her shoes, but they appeared to be missing. This didn't bother Luna in the least, so she just grabbed a loose cardigan, shrugged it on, and headed out of her dormitory. There was only one place where she could think of to get food so late at night and that was the school kitchen.

Security wasn't very tight around the castle that night and other than a small scare that Hermione Granger's cat was Mrs. Norris, Luna made it to the kitchen just fine. Once she tickled the picture of the pear and entered the kitchen she lit her wand and looked down at her watch. It was minutes till midnight.

There wasn't a single house-elf in sight so Luna poked around the kitchen in search of something to eat. None of the food was prepared though much to Luna's dismay. It was nice to know that all of the food they ate was fresh though. Hoisting herself up on to one of the counters she took a red apple from a fruit bowl and wiped it on her cardigan. Other than the light coming from her wand the kitchen was pitch black. It was a bit spooky and Luna found herself eating her apple much quicker than she would have liked to.

Glancing down at her watch again Luna noticed that midnight was slowly approaching. She had a big Transfiguration exam tomorrow and she needed to get as much sleep as possible. Luna was just about to get off of the counter when the door to the kitchen opened.

"_Nox_," Luna muttered quickly and the light from her wand instantly went out.

It appeared that she had nothing to worry about though because the person who entered the kitchen was Fred. She was about to light her wand again, but he had turned his own light on her. He didn't look surprised to see her; it was almost as if he knew she was already here.

"What are you doing down here?" Luna asked.

"I was getting a few things from the potions store room when I heard a very familiar squeal," he said as he walked toward her. "Someone thought that Hermione's fat orange cat was Mrs. Norris."

"I saw a shadow of a cat and panicked," Luna defended.

"Yeah, yeah," he said with an eye roll. "Now, what are you doing down here?"

"Hungry," she shrugged as she pointed to the apple core on the counter next to her. "What were you doing in the potions store room at midnight?"

"Getting a few things for some joke shop products," Fred explained. "What are your plans for the Hogsmeade visit this weekend?"

"I thought I was spending it with you," Luna said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, since we're learning absolutely nothing in Umbridge's class there's going to be a meeting at the Hog's Head to start a group," Fred said. "A Defense group. You interested?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," Luna said.

"Brilliant," he grinned.

Fred then walked toward her and placed his hands on the edge of the counter on either side of her. Even though Luna was sitting on the counter he was still much taller than her. Now that she thought about it he was a good foot or so taller than her.

"Our height differences intrigue me," Luna said as she placed a hand on the back of his head and the other on one of his forearms.

"So you like it that I'm so tall?" he asked as he brushed his nose against hers and lowered his eyelids.

"Mm," Luna hummed in confirmation, leaning toward him slightly so that their lips were just barely touching.

"Good thing Neville Longbottom's shorter than me, huh?" he mused.

He was just about to kiss her completely when she moved away from him quickly and he kissed the air instead. Opening his eyes Fred looked at Luna quizzically while she just stared at him looking utterly dumbfounded.

"What does Neville have to do with anything?" she asked.

"I was just making a joke," Fred chuckled. "I know you would never like him over me no matter how much he likes you."

"He likes me as a friend," Luna stated. "I like him as a friend. We're friends, Fred."

"That's how you see it," he said.

Luna continued to stare at him confusedly and after a few moments it became obvious to Fred that she had no idea what he was talking about.

"He likes you, Lu," he said. "As much more than a friend, it's bloody obvious."

"You're lying," Luna said quickly as she got off of the counter and walked toward the door.

"No, I'm not," Fred argued.

"Has he directly told you that he's… interested in me?" Luna questioned as she opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"Well, no, but it's easy to spot," Fred said, following her out into the hall.

"How so?" Luna asked.

"He's always willing to help you with Herbology, the longing glances, the way he danced with you at the Yule Ball," he said.

"The Yule Ball?" Luna asked incredulously. "Fred, that was ages ago!"

"Lower your voice," Fred said hastily. "It's midnight, someone will hear us."

She couldn't have cared less about how loud she was talking. Her head was spinning with what he was telling her. There was no way one of her best friends could like her like Fred liked her.

"I don't believe you," Luna said.

"You should," Fred said. "He wants you, Luna."

Luna felt her face heat instantly. The fact that Fred was saying that someone else wanted her was embarrassing and unsettling at the same time. Her feelings for Neville were strictly friendship only feelings and she couldn't see that changing into something more. Maybe Fred was just being extra cautious. Neville had always looked after her and Fred was just taking it the wrong way. Still, she needed to say something to put his mind at ease; it was obvious that he had been thinking about this for a while.

"I only want you," Luna said, taking one of his hands. "Just you."

"It's not you I'm worried about," he said. "Longbottom isn't exactly the type to go after a girl with or without a boyfriend attached, but what if some other bloke comes along?"

"I highly doubt that, Fred," Luna said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm hardly desirable."

"You don't give yourself nearly enough credit," Fred said shaking his head. "I desire you. Every second of every day I desire you."

He was closing in on her now and Luna felt her heart begin to flutter. It was in times like these that it was so evident of the age gap between them. Of the experience gap. In these situations he always knew the exact thing to say to get her heart racing, while she just stood there feeling ridiculously young and virginal.

"Fred, it's midnight, I need sleep," Luna opposed as she took a large step backwards.

Sighing and running a hand through his short hair, Fred walked toward her and took her hand in his.

"I'll walk you back to Ravenclaw Tower," he offered.

"You don't have to," Luna said as she took her hand out of his and began to walk down the hallway.

After she was a considerable distance in front of him Luna turned back around to see him looking a little offended.

"You can, however, walk me to Gryffindor Tower," she said. "I always sleep better in your bed with you than I do alone in mine."

Luna could just make out the beginnings of a wicked grin as she turned around to continue down the hall. Well, she knew what to say sometimes.


	53. Middles

_002. Middles_

It was becoming the norm that Luna slept in the seventh year Gryffindor boys' dormitory. She even had a spare toothbrush in the boys' bathroom. The usual routine included her spending the evening talking to Ginny in the common room until everyone left, then Luna would head up to the boys' dormitory and get into bed with Fred. Other than a few kisses and copious amounts of snuggling nothing ever happened.

She didn't sleep there every night, but every time she did it felt so much better than her bed in Ravenclaw Tower. This feeling had nothing to do with her own bed being uncomfortable, but with the fact that Fred wasn't there. She always slept better with him by her side.

It was the middle of October and the school year was going by much quicker than she had anticipated. Fred's last year was finally here and Luna found herself wanting to spend as much time with him as possible.

Currently, Luna was lying in Fred's bed with his front pressed against her back and his arm wrapped around her middle. She had tried to turn to face him, but his hold on her was impossible to escape from so she just continued to lie there. He would wake up eventually.

It was Saturday and the first meeting of the secret Defense group was taking place that day. She was excited to finally learn something useful, but also terrified that she would embarrass herself in front of Fred. He obviously knew a lot more magic than she did since he was a seventh year and would probably outclass her easily.

Luna heard a small groan next to her ear and she turned her head slightly to see Fred stirring. Soon his eyes were wide open and when his gaze met Luna's his lips turned up into a smile.

"Morning," he said, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Good morning," Luna replied as she turned around now that his hold on her had loosened. "Sleep well?"

"Always do when you're here," he smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"Oh, Merlin, someone shut those two up," Lee's voice said from the other side of the dorm.

Instead of flushing like usual, Luna let out a small laugh as she sat up.

"Where are you going?" Fred asked as he watched her pull back the curtain of his four-poster and take her bag from the floor.

"I'm going to the library to study for my Herbology test that's on Monday," Luna explained as she opened up her bag and took out her hairbrush. "It's my worst subject and I need to pass this test. I need to get as much studying in before the first meeting today."

"Oh, all right," Fred said, watching Luna as she brushed her long hair. "Who are you studying with? Ginny?"

"No," Luna sighed.

"Classmates?" Fred questioned.

"No, I'm studying with Neville," she said as she tried to yank her hairbrush through a rather nasty knot of hair.

Fred gave a slow nod while Luna continued to brush her hair. Over the past couple of weeks, ever since their conversation in the school kitchen, he had been on edge about Neville. Luna couldn't even tell if Neville liked her like that or not. He was still the same Neville to her and she was convinced that Fred was just mistaken.

"In the library, surrounded by people, not to mention Madam Pince," Luna added.

"I know," Fred said quickly. "I'm not worried or anything. He's Longbottom, hardly a master of seduction."

"And you are?" Luna asked amusedly.

"I've got you in my bed almost every night," he said smirking. "That has to count for something."

Luna rolled her eyes as she finally finished brushing her hair. She placed the brush back into her bag and stood up. Leaning over the bed Luna gave Fred a small peck on the lips before walking toward the bathroom. Once inside one of the stalls she placed her bag cautiously on the toilet and took out her clothes.

Since it was a Saturday students didn't have to wear their school uniforms. At the last Hogsmeade visit, after the meeting in the Hog's Head, Ginny had managed to separate Luna from Fred to go shopping with one of Ginny's roommates, Demelza Robins. The clothes Ginny had picked out for Luna weren't exactly what she usually wore, but she bought them anyway.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face Luna headed back inside the dorm to see that Fred was the only one still in there. They had woken up rather late and everyone was probably headed to breakfast. Luna placed the strap of her bag on one of her shoulders as she walked toward Fred. He seemed completely unaware of her presence (due to his terrible sixth sense, most likely) and was currently buttoning his jeans.

This didn't bother Luna in the least until he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on his bed. Luna couldn't help but let out her trademark squeal of terror which had Fred turning around.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he walked quickly to her. "Are you okay?"

The questions he was posing had no influence on Luna since she was too busy focusing on his… er, middle region. Never had she ever imagined that under that dress shirt, vest, and tie there was such a nice display of toned muscle.

"Oh, I'm fine," Luna managed to say as she tore her gaze from his bare skin.

"Well, that's good," Fred said, his face slowly turning into a smirk as he realized the source of her discomfort. Taking a step forward Fred got as close to her as possible without touching her. "Was somebody embarrassed because I took my shirt off?"

"No," Luna said quickly as she felt her face heat. "Quiddles."

"That excuse isn't going to work this time, love," Fred said as he cupped her face in his hands and brought her face closer to his before overcoming the last bit of distance between them.

Fred went into the kiss with his lips already parted as he slid his tongue into her mouth. Kisses like this were always embarrassing for Luna since she didn't have the slightest clue of what she should be doing. She usually just closed her eyes and clutched to his shirt, but since he wasn't wearing one she was at a complete loss. Fred seemed to notice her discomfort, but instead of stopping the kiss he just moved it to her neck instead.

Luna could feel herself easing up a bit. This was always their middle-ground in kissing. He wanted more, she wanted simple, so this was always a happy alternative. That was until Fred placed a hand on her bottom and pulled her even closer to him. Feeling even more uncomfortable Luna finally pushed lightly on his chest and stepped away from him.

"I really need to go to the library," she said quickly.

Fred stood there looking confused at her sudden rejection. Realization soon flooded his features and he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Too fast," he said. "Sorry."

"It's all right," Luna said.

"Well, I'm heading down to breakfast," he informed. "Sorry about your neck by the way."

Instead of asking what he was talking about, Luna peered into a mirror hanging on the wall and noticed a small red mark forming on the middle of her neck. It wasn't the first time this had happened and it didn't bother her much.

"I'll just cover it with my hair," Luna shrugged. "I should head to the library, I'm already late."

Standing on the tips of her toes Luna placed a hand on Fred's shoulder and pressed her lips against his neck.

"See you at the meeting," she said as she headed toward the door.

She couldn't even put her hand on the doorknob, because Fred had grabbed her elbow and spun her around.

"You're not changing?" he asked.

"I already did," Luna said. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Your sweater-button-thing goes past your shorts," he stated.

"It's called a cardigan and it's not longer than my shorts," Luna argued. "It clearly stops a few centimeters before by shorts stop."

"Yes, but you're exposing your legs to the world," Fred said. "You can expose them to me anytime you want, but I don't want Neville Longbottom getting any ideas."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Luna took her hair and brushed it to one side of her neck so that the mark Fred had made was clearly visible.

"Happy?" she asked.

"Ecstatic," he answered. "Have fun studying."

"Have fun eating," Luna said in return as she finally exited the boys' dormitory and began to make her way to the library.


	54. What?

_077. What?_

"So, have you two done it yet?" Ginny asked as she leaned across the library table.

"Have I done what with whom?" Luna questioned, turning the page in the textbook she had been skimming.

"Have you and Fred… you know, done _it_?" Ginny asked once more.

Luna looked up from the textbook and perked an eyebrow at her friend. She had no idea what this "it" Ginny was talking about. Ginny seemed to notice Luna's confusion and she looked around the library cautiously before leaning even more over the table.

"Luna, have you had sex with Fred?" she asked.

"Wh-What?" Luna spluttered. "Why would you ask- Why would you _assume_-."

"You've been sleeping in his dorm with him for the past few weeks," Ginny explained. "During the D.A. meetings I always see him looking at you with bedroom eyes."

"Bedroom eyes?" Luna asked. "What does that even mean?"

"It's as if he's undressing you with his eyes," Ginny said.

With her eyes wide and mouth hanging open, Luna was the perfect portrait of confusion and embarrassment. She hadn't even talked with Fred about sex since the Hogsmeade visit back in June. He hadn't brought it up and he never pressured her. It seemed strange to admit, but Fred Weasley was acting like a perfect gentleman.

"So, have you?" Ginny asked.

"No," Luna denied firmly. "We've talked about it, but it's not going to happen for a long time. Not until I'm completely ready."

"Luna, I know how my brothers are with girls," Ginny said. "Bill and Charlie are naturals, Percy doesn't care enough, Ron is hopeless, and Fred and George have been with several girls. Several, Luna."

"I know," Luna said.

"I don't think you do," Ginny pressed. "Fred's used to having girls whenever he pleases. Now that he's with you, well he's not really getting as much as he used to."

"Are you suggesting he might force me?" Luna asked incredulously.

There was no way to describe what Luna was feeling in that moment. One of her best friends was giving her warnings about Fred. She knew what Fred was capable of, but she also had faith that he wouldn't do anything of the sort.

"No, I'm suggesting he might cheat on you," Ginny admitted.

This was the last thing Luna could have thought of. Fred would never cheat on her. He loved her and cared about her. He said he would wait until she was ready and she couldn't imagine being ready anytime soon. Slumping against the back of the library chair, Luna looked at Ginny to see her looking a little embarrassed.

"Sorry, that was a bit much, wasn't it?" Ginny asked apologetically. "He probably won't."

"Who probably won't do what?" Neville Longbottom asked as he took a seat next to Luna.

"Oh, um, it's nothing," Luna said quickly.

Things were extremely awkward with Neville. She still wasn't sure if he liked her or not, but it was obvious that he was uncomfortable around Fred. Ever since Fred had warned her about Neville he had been extremely protective of her and very cold to Neville.

"It's girl talk, Neville," Ginny said as she noticed Luna's discomfort.

"Oh, well, all right then," Neville said, but he glanced at Luna anyway.

Feeling highly uncomfortable with the way the conversation was turning, Luna packed up her things and stood from the table.

"I'm going to head to my dorm," she said. "I didn't get much sleep last night, so I think I'll take a nap before dinner."

"I'll walk you there," Neville proposed as he stood up as well.

Luna looked up at Neville before turning her head to Ginny. Ginny had a rather amused expression on her face.

"You two go on then," she said smirking. "And Luna, I'm sorry about what I said."

"It's fine," Luna said.

She then quickly turned on her heel and headed toward the library exit with Neville right behind her. The pair walked in uncomfortable silence for a while until Neville suddenly stopped. Luna turned around and saw that his face was a light shade of pink.

"What's wrong, Neville?" Luna asked as she walked toward him. "Quiddles? Or are you just not feeling well?"

"Neither, I just need to express my concern on a certain topic," he said.

"My Herbology grade?" Luna asked hopefully.

"No, um, something more personal than that," he said and Luna could see him starting to sweat. "Over the last few weeks I've noticed you've been in the Gryffindor common room a lot lately. Not just to study or hang out, but to sleep as well. That wouldn't be a problem if it was in Ginny's dorm, but you've been sleeping in Fred's dorm. As your friend I just don't want you to, er, do anything that can't be undone."

Neville was sweating profusely now and he seemed quite shaken. Luna placed a hand on his arm comfortingly, but he flinched.

"I think Fred is a nice bloke, but he's not exactly the most patient," Neville continued. "I'm worried that he might, uh, hurt you or-."

"Ginny put you up to this, didn't she?" Luna interrupted. "She basically just told me the same thing. Neville I haven't had sex with Fred."

"Oh," Neville said seeming quite relieved that he didn't have to continue on with the subject. "Well, good for you."

"I didn't finish," Luna said. "I haven't had sex with Fred _yet_."

"What?" Neville asked.

Luna took a deep breath and looked Neville right in the eyes. If he really did like her like Fred thought he did then it was time for her to make her intentions clear.

"When I'm ready I will be giving myself to him," she stated.

"When will that be?" Neville asked.

"It could be years from now, or it could be tomorrow for all I know," Luna informed. "I just know that he's the one I want to be with."

Neville opened his mouth in what was surely going to be a very thoughtful response, but he never got to say it.

"Luna!" Fred called from the other side of the corridor as he made his way toward her. "I thought we were supposed to meet on the grounds. What were- Oh, Longbottom."

"Hi," Neville said nervously.

"Neville was just leaving," Luna said.

It was a rather rude thing to speak for him, but Luna knew that whatever Fred was going to say was a lot ruder. Turning her attention to Neville, Luna tried to give him a pleading look, but he was too busy looking at Fred. It seemed that Neville was silently challenging him. Just daring him to tell him off.

"Yeah, I was," Neville said as he turned to Luna and smiled. "See you later, Luna."

Luna was about to say her goodbye as well when Fred hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. Before she could ask what he was doing Fred kissed her fully on the mouth. Even though she was a little surprised by the kiss Luna was able to close her eyes until Fred pulled back.

Turning, Luna saw that Neville was still there looking like he had been thoroughly slapped. His face turned red and he quickly turned around and started to speedily walk away.

"Serves him right," Fred chuckled.

"Why did you do that?" Luna asked.

"To show him his place," Fred shrugged.

"Fred, he's my friend," Luna said. "I really don't appreciate you doing that."

"Lu, he likes you and he doesn't know when to quit," Fred said. "He really needed to learn his place and I-."

Fred wasn't able to finish his sentence because Luna had slapped him across the face.

"For two and a half years I watched you and Angelina feeling heartbroken and miserable," Luna said as she fought back tears. "I never intervened though; I was never rude to her. I actually think we're kind of friends now. That was before you had any feelings for me, Fred. So now when someone likes me and you know damn well how much I love you, you just think it's okay for you to be a complete arse? Neville was my friend before you were my boyfriend. So you have no right to do what you just did."

Without even giving Fred a chance to defend himself, Luna started to run down the corridor and didn't even bother looking back.


	55. Sing

_098. Sing_

"Boys suck, don't they?" Angelina Johnson asked as she sat down next to Luna on the Quidditch stands.

"They're all idiots," Luna nodded.

It was evening and curfew was minutes away, but Luna was still at the stands feeling terrible. She hadn't talked to Fred in a while and after the Quidditch game that had happened earlier on that day she really wanted to talk to him. Gryffindor had won, but Fred, George, and Harry were all banned from Quidditch because of getting into a fight with Draco Malfoy. Fred hadn't done anything, but if his teammates hadn't held him back he probably would have.

Angelina, being the captain, was beyond mad that she had three of her best players off the team, but that anger soon turned to bitterness. The two girls sat in surprisingly comfortable silence as they looked out on to the deserted pitch.

"How are things with George?" Luna asked.

"How are things with Fred?" Angelina countered.

"Awful," Luna sighed. "He's been really cold to me lately, but I think we're still together."

"You are," Angelina confirmed. "Some sixth year girl tried to flirt with him the other day and he shot her down. His reason was because he already had a girlfriend."

Luna couldn't stop the corners of her lips twitching up in a slight smile. It was good to know that he hadn't given up on her completely.

"And with George?" Luna asked again.

"He knows that I like him, but he doesn't want to betray his brother by dating me," Angelina admitted.

"Does he like you back?" Luna asked.

"I'm pretty sure he does," Angelina nodded. "Thanks for the Gryffindor support during the game, by the way. Your lion hat was very nice."

Giving a small smile in thanks to Angelina, Luna stood up and began to stretch.

"I think I'll head back to Ravenclaw Tower now," she announced. "Bye Angelina."

"Wait, Luna," Angelina said. "I know you've had it kind of rough lately with all of the boyfriend troubles, so you should try taking a bath. I'm a prefect and we have a special bathroom on the fifth floor to the left of the statue of Boris the Bewildered. Just give him the password 'spearmint' and he'll let you in."

Luna felt a rushing sort of gratitude toward Angelina. Her mother had always given her the same advice while Luna was growing up. If you had a bad day, go take a bath and think about things. It was basically her mother's motto. Luna began to walk toward the exit of the pitch when she heard Angelina call out to her once more.

"Oh, and Luna!" Angelina shouted. "Try singing. It always makes me feel better!"

"Okay, I'll try that!" Luna shouted back.

It was about fifteen minutes past curfew as Luna walked through the deserted corridors of Hogwarts. Other than the usual easygoing students who were slowly making their ways to their common rooms, Luna was alone. After ascending a few flights of stairs Luna reached the statue of Boris the Bewildered. She gave him the password and the door to the left of him creaked open.

Luna slipped inside and saw that there was a huge swimming pool sized bathtub and a very long row of toilet stalls. Walking toward the bathtub, Luna noticed a pile of white, fluffy towels and bathrobes. She took one of each and turned on the water to the bath along with some of the bubbles and foam.

Undressing quickly and then wrapping herself in a robe, Luna sat on the edge of the tub and dangled her feet in it as she waited for the bath to fill. For its size it took a very short time to fill and after discarding her robe Luna slipped in easily.

Instantly she felt like all of her troubles would just float away. The water was very warm and the aroma of the bubbles was very pleasant. Her mother's and Angelina's advice was beginning to work perfectly.

She really should apologize to Fred about slapping him, but not about what she said. Neville was her friend and even if he did like her Fred still had no right to be so rude to him. It felt like a rift was about to happen between them just like in her second year and she really didn't want that to happen. Luna was still ridiculously in love with Fred and being apart from him just made her feel worse. She just wanted them to make-up and be together again.

Thinking about her problems didn't seem to be helping and was only making her feel worse, so Luna decided to try Angelina's other advice. She had never sung in front of anyone before, but her voice had never sounded unpleasant. Taking a deep breath Luna began to sing an old Gaelic lullaby her mother would always sing to her. It was a simple tune and none of the notes were that difficult for Luna to reach.

She wasn't halfway through the song when she heard the door to the bathroom creak open. Immediately Luna did the only thing she could think of, she took a huge breath and ducked underwater.

Underwater she couldn't exactly tell what was going on above water. Voices or noises sounded a bit muffled and since it was so dark in the bathroom she couldn't really see any reflections. Soon breathing was becoming a problem and she willingly started to swim to the top without any care about her inevitable detention.

As soon as her head broke through the water, waves and rippled appeared in the tub signifying that someone else had jumped in. Quickly, Luna hoisted herself out of the bath and snatched her robe before wrapping it around herself. Not before noticing a discarded Gryffindor boy's uniform though.

Tying her robe, Luna turned around at the same time she heard someone whistle. Luna saw Fred from the shoulders up in the tub with a goofy grin on his face.

"Very nice bum, Lovegood," he said appreciatively. "Very nice."

"What are you doing here?" Luna asked as she pulled her robe around her even tighter.

"I overheard a certain Angelina Johnson telling Alicia Spinnet that you were in the prefects' bathroom," he shrugged as he rested his arms on the edge of the bath. "After pestering my little brother for a bit I was able to get the password. So here I am."

"Here you are," Luna muttered as she collected her towel and clothes and began to march toward a stall.

"Don't be like that, Lu," Fred said and Luna could hear him coming out of the water.

Luna's face instantly flushed as she remembered that he was most likely naked… and dripping wet. Stopping in her tracks she could hear his footsteps across the tile floor and stop behind her.

"I'm covered," he said.

Cautiously, Luna turned around to see that he was still dripping wet, but this time had a towel wrapped around his waist.

"You have a lovely singing voice," he said as he placed a hand on her waist.

"You weren't supposed to hear me sing," Luna mumbled as her face began to heat again. "I'm still mad at you."

"Good," Fred nodded. "I was being a complete overprotective, paranoid, selfish git and I don't deserve to be forgiven. Well, not until I apologize to Neville Longbottom which I plan on doing very soon."

"Really?" Luna asked with a perked brow.

"Really," Fred confirmed.

Luna nodded as her mind slowly went from his apology to the situation they were in. Prefects' bathroom, both of them were wet and half-naked. She was blushing just at the thought of what their situation was implying. Not to mention he had seen her bare bottom and commented on it.

"I'm going to go change," Luna said as she began to turn on her heel and walked quickly toward the stalls.

Walking quickly on tile floor with bare, wet feet wasn't the smartest decision she had made and she felt her foot slide dangerously against the floor. Before she could crash to the floor she was caught by Fred who now had the perfect view down her disheveled robe. Clutching the robe together and with her face a violent red, Luna stood back up and turned around to tell Fred to forget what he had just seen.

Unfortunately for Luna, in Fred's haste to catch her, the towel that had been around his waist was now lying forgotten on the floor. Turning around once more Luna darted into the first stall and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I didn't see anything," Luna said hastily.

"Well, I saw a lot," Fred said and Luna didn't miss the cocky tone in his voice. "It's not a problem, Luna. We're going to see each other naked someday, right?"

He seriously wasn't helping. Quickly Luna discarded her robe, dried herself off, and changed back into her school uniform before exiting the stall. Fred was already dressed and was draining the bathtub. Luna leaned against the stall and watched him quietly. Being overprotective and a little cruel was in his nature, but at times when he was silently doing a task such as draining a bathtub he seemed so gentle and kind. Luna really did feel that she was the only person who saw this side of him. Closing her eyes, Luna inhaled softly and began to finish the lullaby she had been singing before.

When she finished she opened her eyes and saw Fred standing in front of her and smiling softly. He leaned forward and instead of kissing her lips like she thought he would, he kissed her forehead.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," Luna replied. "Even if you are a complete arse sometimes."

"Language, Lovegood," Fred warned playfully.

"I'm fourteen, I can curse," Luna said defiantly.

Fred laughed before nodding toward the door. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Luna said as she took his hand and walked with him out into the hall.

They walked in silence for a while until Luna posed a question.

"Are you going to miss Quidditch?" she asked.

"Definitely," Fred said. "Especially since it's my last year. I don't regret sticking up for my family though."

"Well, it is always good to not regret your actions," Luna said thoughtfully.

The rest of the journey to Ravenclaw Tower was uneventful and when they reached the bronze knocker they both just leaned against opposite walls and looked at each other.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with me tonight?" he asked.

"Remember you're not completely forgiven until you apologize to Neville," Luna reminded. "So until then, I'm sleeping in my own dorm."

"All right, all right, I just wanted to try anyway," Fred said shaking his head. "Good night, Luna."

"Good night, Fred," Luna said.

Fred was halfway down the stairs until he turned back to face Luna.

"Luna, about what happened when you fell tonight," he said. "Y'know when I might have seen a little too much?"

Feeling her face heat, Luna nodded in understanding.

"Well, you're _absolutely stunning_," he said grinning. "Definitely nothing to be embarrassed about."

Luna couldn't even tell him off, because he was already walking back down the steps, humming her mother's Gaelic lullaby as he went.


	56. Christmas

_092. Christmas _

It was night at Number 12 Grimmauld Place and Fred Weasley was sitting in the bedroom he shared with his twin. George was still downstairs with everyone celebrating the last bit of Christmas, but Fred had decided to resign early. The entire day had been spent at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries visiting his father who had suffered from a snake bite while doing work for the Order of the Phoenix.

Arthur Weasley was doing just fine and would recover soon. Visits to the hospital were never that cheery though despite it being Christmas. On the way to exiting the hospital Fred had ran into Neville Longbottom. Fred had yet to apologize to Neville and his relationship with Luna was pretty shaky because of that. Christmas break was supposed to be the time when Fred was able to visit Luna outside of school, but this time he couldn't because of his father and strict rule from the Order.

The door to the bedroom opened, interrupting Fred's thoughts. He assumed that it was George, but instead it was Sirius Black. Until June Fred had been convinced that Sirius Black was a dangerous murderer, but after spending the entire summer at Grimmauld Place Fred found out that he was actually an innocent man.

"Mind if I talk to you for a moment?" Sirius asked as he walked into the room.

"Not at all," Fred said, shaking his head.

Sirius closed the door behind him and leaned against a wardrobe opposite of the bed Fred was sitting on. Fred had no idea what Sirius would want to say to him, but he couldn't imagine it being something carefree or simple.

"How's Luna?" Sirius asked.

"She's fine," Fred sighed. "I haven't talked to her in about a week and we haven't been sending each other letters that often, but- Wait, how do you know about Luna?"

Instantly Sirius's calm expression turned into an amused grin.

"I'm an animagus, Fred," Sirius explained. "My animal form is a large, black dog and I go by the name of Snuffles."

"You're joking," Fred said quickly.

"Not at all," Sirius laughed. "I knew you two were going to get together. Animal instinct, of course."

Fred continued to look at Sirius absolutely dumbfounded. It made sense, but it was still hard to believe.

"So, why haven't you and Luna been talking?" Sirius asked.

"One of her friends likes her and I got a little overprotective," Fred shrugged. "No big deal."

Nodding slowly, Sirius placed a hand to his chin and began to think over what Fred had just told him. After a minute or two he smiled and looked back at Fred.

"Actually you acted like a complete bastard and she wants you to apologize, but you're too proud to do so," he said. "You're jealous because it seems like her friend has a better relationship with her than you have. The only thing you can think of is when you're going to be able to shag her and this shows in your actions. Luna's a sweet girl, so she probably hasn't spoken up about it, but it feels like you're pressuring her and now sex is all she can think about. This in turn is probably making her act very unlike herself and you haven't heard the word Nargles in weeks."

Fred and Sirius stared at each other for a good minute. Sirius looked thoughtful and amused while Fred appeared to be confused and a little angry.

"Or something along those lines," Sirius added.

"Have you been spying on us?" Fred asked.

"Definitely not," Sirius laughed. "This is honestly the most interesting conversation I've had in months. Well, was I close to the truth?"

"Spot on," Fred admitted. "She hasn't been acting like herself since… I actually can't remember. I probably have been pressuring her. What am I supposed to do?"

"I'd start with apologizing to her, then her friend," Sirius advised. "But don't visit her or anything, give her some space until next term."

"Yeah, good idea," Fred said. "Thanks, Sirius."

"Anytime," Sirius shrugged as he headed toward the door.

Sirius exited the room leaving Fred alone to contemplate what he had just heard. It really did feel like snogging was the only activity he and Luna had partaken in lately. They hadn't really had a sincere conversation since they started dating and she really wasn't acting like the Luna he had fallen in love with.

Sighing heavily, Fred fell backwards on to the bed and shut his eyes. This definitely hadn't been a very good Christmas.

* * *

Christmas would be over in a matter of minutes and Luna was placing a blanket over her father who had fallen asleep on the couch. None of her presents were anything exciting and she hadn't received anything from Fred. This was a bit of a relief though since she hadn't gotten him a present either. There wasn't a single thing she could think to give him, so she just hadn't bought anything.

Fred still hadn't apologized to Neville despite him promising her that he would very soon. Whenever Fred promised something he always kept his word, but now she was turning slightly skeptical. The more time that went by the more she felt that she didn't know him anymore.

Giving an exasperated sigh, Luna climbed up the steps to her room and collapsed on to her bed. It was impossible to get any sleep when her head was so filled with thoughts. Even though her father was a terrific listener, he wasn't a very good advice giver. Her mum was amazing at it though.

Turning her head, Luna looked at the framed picture of her mother on her bedside table. Luna picked up the frame and stared at the picture. If she was still here she would know exactly what to say about Fred. She really did want someone to give her boy advice.

Luna placed the frame back on the table and got up from her bed. She opened up her wardrobe to find a pair of pajamas when a shoebox on the top shelf caught her eye. Standing on her tips toes, Luna grabbed the box and placed it on her bed. Opening it she saw the hundreds of sapphire fragments of her mother's necklace.

Back in January Luna had brought the remains to Professor Flitwick to ask if he could fix it, but he said he couldn't repair it. The necklace would have to be manually placed back together like a Muggle jigsaw puzzle and then fixed with a powerful Mending Charm. Professor Flitwick said that he could perform the charm for her, but she would have to place the pieces back together.

It was impossible though. Luna wasn't even sure she had all of the pieces and if she did, she wouldn't know where to start. No one, not even her father, had asked about the necklace, so it wasn't missed, but she couldn't help but feel immensely guilty. She knew that it wasn't her fault, but her father had entrusted something so precious to her and she had ruined it.

A soft knock on her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts and Luna quickly closed the lid on the shoebox and stashed it back in her wardrobe.

"Luna?" Xenophilius greeted as he slowly creaked her door open. "Are you sleeping?"

"No," Luna said as she grabbed a pair of pajamas and shut her wardrobe. "I was about to change and go to bed, so good night."

Luna expected her father to accept this rushed excuse, but he opened her door fully and marched into her room.

"Dad, what is it?" Luna asked.

"Tomorrow we are going to search for Umgubular Slashkilters," he stated firmly. "You've been very quiet these past few days and the hairs from the mighty creature will surely cure this."

"But, Daddy, Umgubular Slashkilters only live in swamp regions," Luna said.

"Actually one of my top journalists swore that he saw one not too far from Ottery St. Catchpole," Xenophilius said excitedly.

"Really?" Luna asked with just as much excitement. "Oh, I've never seen one up close before. Do you think they're vicious?"

"Only if provoked, my dear Luna, only if provoked," Xenophilius said matter-of-factly.

"When will we be leaving?" Luna asked.

"Around six in the morning, naturally," he said.

"Of course, Umgubular Slashkilters do love the morning," Luna said.

Xenophilius smiled broadly at her before kissing her on the top of the head and turning back toward the door. He was into the hallway and about to close the door when he turned back around with a slight pinkish tone on his face.

"While we wait for the Umgubular Slashkitler's arrival we can discuss the Weasley boy if you would like," he said with a small cough. "I would like to meet him properly as well someday."

"Okay," Luna said as she felt her face heat slightly with embarrassment.

The door was then shut for good and Luna sat back down on the bed. Even though her father probably wouldn't understand all of the problems she was having with Fred, it was nice that he actually wanted to help her. This definitely hadn't been a very bad Christmas.


	57. Fixed

_072. Fixed_

Luna sighed as she finished unpacking in her dorm. The Christmas break was over and it was now the beginning of the second term at Hogwarts. She hadn't heard anything from Fred the entire break, but she assumed they were still together. She hoped they were still together.

It was Sunday and classes would begin again tomorrow. The school year was going by much quicker than she had thought and she really just wanted to be back on good terms with Fred so that they could enjoy his last year. Walking down her dorm steps and reaching the practically empty common room, Luna was surprised to see Fred lounging on one of the couches.

"What are you doing here?" Luna asked as she approached him.

"I wanted to see you," he shrugged as he outstretched his hand to her.

As soon as Luna took his hand he pulled her down and on to his lap. Luna attempted to move off of him and on to the cushion, but his hold on her was firm.

"I missed you," he continued. "I'm sorry we didn't really keep in touch over the break, but I thought you could use some space."

"It's fine," Luna mumbled as she twisted a lock of golden hair between her fingers. "I went hunting with dad. Speaking of, how's yours?"

"How's my what?" Fred asked.

"Your father," Luna said.

"Oh, he's fine," Fred nodded.

An awkward silence then loomed in the air and Luna felt that they hadn't fixed anything at all. The spark that was always present before wasn't missing, but it was hiding. It was doing a very good job of hiding as well, because Luna just didn't feel like being around Fred. Maybe they were just better as friends.

"I'm sorry," Fred blurted out.

Luna turned her head quickly to look him in the eyes. He looked back and by the expression on his face it was plain to see that he hadn't expected to blurt that out either.

"For what?" Luna asked.

"For everything," he said, shaking his head. "I'm an idiot. A complete idiot. Even pulling you on to my lap a few moments ago was idiotic. You have been so patient and submissive, and that's really what normal guys want in a relationship. I have to admit that that's what I want too, but not with you. You're Luna Lovegood. You skip down the hallway and warn random people about Nargles in mistletoe. Lately you've been so preoccupied with this whole sex thing that you weren't acting like yourself. Hell, you're still not acting like yourself."

"Fred," Luna said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me finish," Fred pressed. "I refuse to take your virginity until you are seventeen, okay? So, I don't know why I keep acting like it's going to be tomorrow. I don't know why I get so damn jealous of Neville Longbottom. Well, I didn't know until I saw that you act like yourself around him. Which is stupid, because I apologized to him today and he never even liked you like that. I made it all up in my head and strained your relationship with him because I'm so damn protective and paranoid."

Luna slipped off of his lap and watched as he placed his face in his hands. Slowly, Luna started to move her hand across his back with a small smile on his face.

"Fred," Luna tested to make sure he was finished. "I'm not that little eleven year-old girl who was convinced that bullies were really just Heliopaths. People don't change, Fred, they grow up. I've grown up. Not completely, but some. I'm sure that if I had never met you or Ginny or Neville so early on I wouldn't have any real friends and I would've acted just as strange as back then. I'm happy that you don't want to take me until I'm seventeen, but I can decide that on my own. It's definitely not going to be anytime soon, and it might be after I turn seventeen, but it's going to be you."

Fred looked up at her and gave her a weak smile before holding up a finger and reaching into his back pocket. He handed her a small package wrapped in tissue paper. Luna took it from him and started to unfold the paper.

"Consider it a late Christmas and early birthday present," he said.

As soon as the tissue paper was completely pulled back Luna gasped down at the present.

"How did you-?" she began to ask, her eyes welling with tears.

"Your dad sent me the shoebox and I spent the entire second half of break putting all of the pieces together," he explained. "Ginny helped some."

Luna stroked the fixed triangle-shaped sapphire pendant of her mother's necklace before gripping it in her hand and wrapping her arms around Fred's neck.

"I love you so much," she said.

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her as well.

"I love you too," he replied. "So, are we all right? You and me?"

Fred pulled away from the hug to press his forehead against hers. Luna gave a small nod, but was able to speak before he let out a sigh of relief.

"You have to promise me something though," she said. "We will never fight again. We will never have periods of time when we don't talk. Fred, we've fixed us so many times I really don't want to have to do it again."

"I guess we'll just have to get married then," he sighed.

From his tone of voice Luna knew that he was joking, but there was something about the expression on his face that suggested that he was actually serious. It was as if he was curious to see her reaction to such a life-changing suggestion.

But Luna couldn't see herself marrying anyone else and the thought made her blush.

"Not for a very long time," Luna said. "If you were serious, of course."

Fred nodded slowly before giving a small cough and glancing at her.

"So, can I kiss you now?" he asked bluntly.

"Since when do you have to ask?" Luna questioned as she stifled a giggle.

"Well, there has been an awful lot of tension between us lately, and I just assumed that I should ask," Fred shrugged. "That's the gentlemanly thing to do, right?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Luna asked, this time failing to stop her giggle.

Fred rolled his eyes at her before leaning forward, wrapping an arm around her waist, and capturing her lips with his own.


	58. Detention

_096. Detention_

The small piece of parchment that Luna was holding in her hands was the cause of the terrible aching in her stomach. A few days ago Fred and Luna had been out past curfew to visit the school kitchen on her birthday when they were caught by Mr. Filch. Detention was then given to both of them and it wasn't exactly the best feeling in the world, or the best birthday.

In almost four years at Hogwarts, Luna had never been given detention, but there was a first for everything. Fred would be spending the detention with Mr. Filch cleaning out some storage room. This truly paled in comparison to what Luna had to do.

Glancing down at the parchment once again, Luna read the sickeningly curly handwriting printed on the pink hued parchment with a smell of mothballs wafting from it. She would be spending her detention with Professor Umbridge writing lines. No doubt she would say terrible things about her father's magazine and try to get something out of her about the D.A.

"Do you want me to walk you to her office?" Fred asked as he too glanced down at the parchment.

"No, I don't want you to be late for your own detention," Luna sighed as she turned to face him.

Fred was giving her an apologetic glance and she knew he was blaming himself for her getting a detention.

"Don't give me that look," Luna chided. "I'm just going to be writing lines, it can't possibly be that bad."

"If you say so," Fred said, taking a step toward her and wrapping an arm around her. "I'll walk you back to Ravenclaw Tower when it's over."

Luna nodded and after he gave her a small kiss she turned around and headed toward Professor Umbridge's office. She reached the office precisely on time and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Umbridge's voice rang out.

Opening the door, Luna was startled to see so much pink and so many cats. Pink and cats were never bad things, but in such high a quantity they were just nauseating. Trying to keep a straight face, Luna closed the door behind her and walked to Umbridge's desk.

"Now, Miss Lovegood you will be writing some lines for me this evening," Umbridge said as she motioned to a small desk in front of her own.

Sitting down at the desk, Luna noticed that Umbridge had already provided a piece of parchment and a quill. There was no ink though, but Luna just assumed that the quill was some new invention of the Ministry and already had ink in it.

"You will be writing 'I will respect my curfew'," Umbridge told Luna.

"How many times?" Luna asked as she picked up the quill and placed it on the parchment to get ready.

"I'll know when you're done," Umbridge said before giving one of her trademark giggles.

Once again Luna assumed that Umbridge was just going to time her and she began to slowly write her lines. The ink the quill provided was a strange scarlet color, but Luna pressed on. Soon she was almost halfway down the page when she noticed a slight burning in her hand and something rolling down her wrist. Stopping briefly Luna glanced at her hand and saw her own handwriting etched into her skin and a drop of scarlet blood rolling down her wrist.

Luna looked up at Umbridge who was sitting at her desk with an obviously fake apathetic look on her face.

"Yes?" Umbridge asked as her face broke into a wide grin.

Looking from her hand to the parchment, Luna set the quill back on the desk and stood up from her chair.

"Where do you think you're going?" Umbridge asked.

"To inform Professor Flitwick of your cruel punishment," Luna said nonchalantly as she headed toward the door.

"You might want to think before you do that, Miss Lovegood," Umbridge warned.

With her hand on the doorknob, Luna turned around to face Professor Umbridge once again.

"What do you mean by that?" Luna asked.

"I believe the only source of income your family receives is from that ludicrous magazine your father writes," Umbridge said. "Am I correct?"

"Yes," Luna confirmed warily.

"I have a very high-ranking job at the Ministry, Miss Lovegood," Umbridge said as she started to pour herself a cup of tea. "I also have a very close relationship with the Minister of Magic. My, it would be such a shame if I just _mentioned _that your father's magazine should be ended. That your father was a criminal helping the murderer Sirius Black. That would leave your family with no money and you with no father."

Luna didn't say anything as she stared with disbelief at Umbridge. Her words were hurtful and completely untrue, but her actions hurt so much more. She was making a cup of tea and not even looking Luna in the eyes. The thought of making a fifteen year-old girl poor and an orphan wasn't even a trouble to her.

Closing her eyes and clenching her fists, Luna took a deep breath. She really didn't have a choice. Luna opened her eyes and walked toward the desk before sitting down and taking the quill back in her hand. Umbridge smiled at her once again.

"Good girl," Umbridge said approvingly as she dumped sugar cubes into her tea.

For the remainder of her detention Luna wrote all of her lines. An hour or two must have gone by when Umbridge took Luna's injured hand in her own and looked at the bloody wound.

"I think that will do," Umbridge said. "You may leave."

Instantly Luna stood up and bolted out of the office. She entered the hallway to see Fred leaning against the opposite wall. He was covered in grease and had a disgusting rotten smell wafting around him, but other than that he seemed unharmed. Luna stashed her bleeding hand into the pocket of her robes and walked toward him.

"That wasn't too bad," she lied.

"Really?" Fred asked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and they began to walk.

"I just wrote lines and she insulted my father's magazine," Luna shrugged. "It was easy to block her out though."

"Ah, that must be first detention sympathy," Fred said thoughtfully. "I had to clean out Filch's own private storage room. I had no idea that place even existed, but it was not a pretty sight."

Luna gave a small giggle that sounded false even to her. Fred looked down at her with an arched eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," Luna pressed. "Nothing's wrong at all."

Fred seemed unconvinced, but didn't force the issue as they walked down the hallway.


	59. Green

_014. Green_

There was nothing particularly special about that February day. Classes had gone by as always, spending time with friends and trying to do homework was present as always, and all three meals had been served throughout the day as always. This would have been a particularly good day if Luna hadn't eaten whatever she had eaten that was making her feel so sick.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked as she leaned across the library table. "You look a little green."

Ginny and Luna were attempting to complete their Transfiguration homework, but both were having trouble for very different reasons. Luna was feeling especially bad, while Ginny just didn't understand the concept of the assignment.

"I look green?" Luna asked as she put her head down on the cool wooden table. "Oh, that doesn't sound good."

"Do you want me to walk you to the Hospital Wing?" Ginny asked.

"No, I'm sure I'll feel better soon," Luna assured as she sat back up and picked up her quill. "Now where were we?"

"Luna, you should really head to the Hospital Wing," Ginny said and her voice was filled with worry. "You look awful."

"Now you're just being rude," Luna said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

The combination of something bad to eat and not getting sufficient rest over the past few days was not having a good effect on Luna. Also, the boy who sat next to her in Potions had been sneezing like crazy the past few days. These sure signs of illness did nothing to discourage Luna from squinting at her parchment and trying to make out what she had written. Her vision was unfortunately fuzzy due to her lightheadedness though.

"Ginny, I think you're right," Luna said as she clutched her head. "I think- I think I do need to…"

Luna wasn't able to finish her sentence though because she was slumping over and falling to the floor.

It hadn't felt like ten minutes had gone by when Luna opened her eyes and saw a shock of vibrant green. She was lying on a rather comfortable cot in the Hospital Wing and a lovely potted azalea bush was in her point of view. The flowers weren't the only thing she noticed. There was a slight pressure in one of her hands and Luna turned her head in that direction.

Fred was sitting on a chair next to her cot with her hand held in his. He was stroking the skin on her hand with his thumb and a rush of panic began to flood into her.

"Fred, what are you doing here?" Luna asked, trying to keep her voice nonchalant.

"I'm here because you fainted yesterday and my classes are over for the day," he informed before nodding his head at the flowers. "Those are from Longbottom."

"I thought so," Luna said. "You don't exactly have a green thumb."

Even though her comment wasn't exactly that humorous, Luna had expected him to chuckle at least. Slowly Luna shifted her eyes back to Fred's and without any words being spoken she knew that he knew.

"Why didn't you tell me, Lu?" he asked as he turned her scarred hand to face her. "What did that bitch do to you?"

"Fred, you shouldn't call a teacher that," Luna said quickly.

"I'll call someone a bitch if they hurt you," he said harshly. "She put a scar in the back of your hand, she made you bleed. Why didn't you tell a teacher at least?"

"I was going to," Luna assured. "But she… she said some things that made me change my mind."

Fred's eyes darkened even more and the hold he had on her hand tightened.

"She threatened you," he stated.

Luna sighed before nodding. Lying and keeping things from Fred wasn't going to do any good. She just knew that he would worry and get angry and possibly do something to get himself expelled.

"It's my fault," he sighed heavily as he leaned back against his chair.

Well, she hadn't been expecting that.

"What are you talking about?" Luna asked.

"I'm the one who made you stay out past curfew," he said. "If you had been back in your common room by curfew then this never would have happened."

"It probably would have," Luna said. "She hates me Fred, she was just waiting for an excuse."

Sighing once again, Fred leaned forward and grabbed Luna's other hand before looking her in the eyes.

"Promise me that if something like this happens again you'll tell me," he said.

"I promise," Luna confirmed.

"I'm happy that you're awake," he said. "What do you think made you sick?"

"Winkles Verde," Luna sighed. "They're these nasty little creatures who cling to people and make them a terrible shade of green. It results in them getting a terrible fever and plenty of nausea."

"Sounds awful," Fred said as he brushed a piece of blonde hair from Luna's forehead.

"Yes, but from experience I know that it won't last long," Luna said thoughtfully.

Fred gave a small laugh before leaning over and kissing her cheek. The couple stayed in comfortable silence for a few more moments until Madam Pomfrey came bustling out of her office and told Fred that he had to leave so that Luna could rest. Fred was able to bargain five more minutes of time to say goodbye and Madam Pomfrey grudgingly headed back to her office.

"What are your plans for Valentine's Day?" Fred asked.

"Well, Hermione Granger wants to meet at the Three Broomsticks to discuss something," Luna said with dread in her voice. Hermione Granger wasn't exactly one of her favorite people. "Other than that I'm free."

"Excellent," Fred smiled. "Because I do believe we're due for a date."

Luna giggled and nodded in agreement before a cough escaped her throat. This time Madam Pomfrey busted out of her office and ordered that Fred leave. Fred didn't complain this time and said his goodbye to Luna.


	60. He

_084. He_

The month of February was quickly coming to a close and Fred Weasley found himself becoming frustrated. The D.A. meeting had just ending and he had just said goodbye to Luna and was heading back to Gryffindor Tower, but focusing seemed difficult.

He wasn't mad or frustrated at Luna, but more frustrated at himself. Frustrated because he couldn't stop thinking about sex, particularly sex with Luna. He was going to wait for her, and he was fine with that, but it didn't stop him from thinking about it. Thinking about it a lot more than he would like.

Hiding his thoughts wasn't exactly difficult, at first anyway. But as soon as Luna turned fifteen it was as if someone had just decided to give her curves and make her golden hair even more gorgeous than usual. Licking her lips and blinking her eyes more were other attributes that she had picked up quickly.

These things weren't necessarily bad, just distracting. Merlin, she was distracting.

"A life of no shagging must be difficult," a cocky voice said from behind him.

Fred turned around to see a face identical to his own. George was giving him a grin as he stepped beside his brother and they began to walk down the corridor.

"Don't act like you're getting any," Fred said with a smirk. "I know how you feel about Angelina."

If this comment caught George off-guard he didn't show it.

"Yeah, and I know how you feel about Luna," George countered. "You should learn how to keep the thoughts in your head off of your face. Every time you look at her you just stare like you're about to jump on your prey."

"I didn't think I was that obvious," Fred said.

"You're lucky that Luna's so oblivious then," George snorted.

The twin brothers walked in unusual silence as they finally reached the stairs leading up to Gryffindor Tower. George started to ascend the stairs, but Fred stayed at the bottom.

"What is it?" George asked as he turned to face his brother.

"I don't know how much longer I can go," Fred sighed as he leaned against the stair rail.

"You're pathetic," George said with laughter in his voice. "Just stop thinking about it."

"That's hard considering how gorgeous she is and how much I love her," Fred said as he too began to ascend the stairs. "I don't even want to shag her to shag. I want to just… Never mind."

"Thanks for sparing me," George said appreciatively. "I definitely do not want to hear your overly romantic thoughts toward Luna Lovegood."

Fred gave a small shrug and watched as his brother went up the last bit of stairs and gave the Fat Lady the password. George held the portrait hole open, but Fred just shook his head. He wanted to have some time to think.

It was true. He didn't want to shag Luna. Calling it "shagging" seemed ridiculously insulting as well. He just wanted to share the most intimate thing in the world with her. He wanted to make love to her. Fred's face began to flush and he mentally kicked himself. Since when had he become such a bumbling romantic?

Shagging girls was something he had done several times, but making love to someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with was completely new to him. Honestly he wished that Luna would take a couple of years to be ready. If she was ready tomorrow then he would have to reject her since he wasn't so sure he was ready himself.

It was a terrifying thought. He would mess it up somehow, he would hurt her, or the worst one, she wouldn't want him. What if she was ready with another man? What if she lost it to someone else and then came to him without him knowing?

Fred immediately dismissed these thoughts from his mind. Luna was his everything and there was no way in hell that someone else would ever make her his. Ever.

With all of his thoughts sorted out (well, kind of), Fred approached the portrait of the Fat Lady when he heard footsteps behind him. Fred turned around to see Neville Longbottom coming up the stairs.

"Can you open the portrait hole for me?" Neville asked nervously.

"Forgot the password again?" Fred asked.

Neville nodded and Fred was just about to say the password when he turned around to face Neville again.

"Sorry about the way I acted," he said.

"You've already apologized to me," Neville said visibly confused. "Did you do something else?"

"No, I just thought I would say it again," Fred said, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm just happy you never liked Luna."

"Never Luna," Neville said, shaking his head. "She's a great friend, but I'll never like her as anything more. To be honest she makes me feel a little uncomfortable at times."

Fred laughed and nodded. "I know the feeling. You don't like Ginny, do you?"

"No," Neville said.

"Good," Fred nodded stiffly.

Neville and Fred stood there in front of the Fat Lady portrait for several long moments. There wasn't a lot of tension between them, just a lot of awkwardness. It was obvious that the two were never going to be close pals.

"Well, as long as you don't like my girlfriend or my sister you're all right, Longbottom," Fred said as he slapped Neville on the back.

"Er, thanks," Neville said.

The pair stood in silence once more, but this time the silence was broken.

"Do you two want to come in or not?" the Fat Lady asked as she placed her hands on her hips. "It's getting late and I would like some sleep, so make up your minds!"

Fred quickly gave the password to the Fat Lady and he entered the common room with Neville closely behind him. The two boys headed up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. They were just about to silently part ways when Neville spoke out to Fred.

"She's like a sister to me," he said. "So, if you break her heart or hurt her I'll… make sure you regret it."

Even though the threat wasn't that threatening it was full of sincerity. Fred gave a sharp nod before turning away from Neville and entering his own dorm.


	61. Too Much

_033. Too Much_

School was going by slowly that year and nothing of interest had happened. Well, nothing of good interest had happened. It was obvious that Professor Umbridge wouldn't rest until she had control over the school, but Professor Dumbledore was as strong a leader as ever. The publicity _The Quibbler _received from an exclusive interview with Harry was incredible, but the torture Luna received from Umbridge was terrible.

There had been no more detentions, but her grades were depleting quickly in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The subject had never been her greatest, but right now her marks in Herbology were much better. That was really saying something. Even with help from the D.A. her essays and classwork just got shot down. It was all too much to bear.

She had to remain confident though. There was no way that Umbridge would stay at Hogwarts forever and it seemed even more unlikely that she would become Headmistress.

Well, that's what Luna tried to convince herself of. It was the middle of the day in the middle of March and classes had just ended. Luna was happily making her way to the Great Hall for lunch when Fred found her in the corridor and started to walk alongside her.

"Good day?" he asked.

"It was all right," Luna shrugged.

Things with Fred had been wonderful. All of the tension and aggravation between them was gone. They were finally able to act like a proper couple. This thought was only further induced when Fred grasped her hand and entwined their fingers. Luna smiled up at him and he grinned back down at her.

Leaning her head against his arm, Luna began to think of a topic they had discussed almost a year ago. Fred had lost his virginity when he was fifteen and now she was fifteen. She was still in no way ready, but the thought didn't seem so ridiculous anymore. Especially now that he was only two years older than her.

As soon as April 1st came around though, it would seem that the age gap would be there again. Luna continued to think about this as they approached the Great Hall. The pair was just about to enter when Luna stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" Fred asked, looking down at her.

Luna looked up at him and took a deep breath before tightening her grip on his hand and pulling him up the main staircase.

"Where are we going?" Fred asked.

"You'll see," Luna said and she felt her face heat up at her words.

Fred didn't argue or question further, so he silently followed her up the stairs.

She wasn't going to have sex with him. She was just going to kiss him until it all became too much. Testing her limits seemed like a smart thing to do and if she actually was ready for sex, well, that was good, wasn't it? All of that pent up sexual tension between them would be gone and everything would be fine.

"Lu, where are you taking me?" Fred asked and Luna heard a hint of a chuckle in his voice.

"Right here," Luna said as she stopped in front of her destination.

It was an empty classroom that was now just used as a storage room. Luna opened the door and closed it when Fred accompanied her in the room. The room was dusty and cramped, but was well lit because of the afternoon light streaming through the big windows.

"What's in here?" Fred asked as he leaned against an old desk. "Is there a Blibbering Humdinger hiding in one of these boxes?"

"No," Luna said shaking her head.

Inhaling and improving her posture slightly, Luna marched over to Fred and kissed him. He was obviously taken aback, but was still able to reciprocate to the kiss. Fred turned her around and picked her up before placing her on the desk he had been leaning against.

Fred's tongue slipped into her mouth and instead of freezing up, Luna matched his movements with her own. Now Fred was completely taken into the kiss and wrapped an arm around her hips as he leaned into her more. Luna pushed his school robe off of his shoulders and began to untie his Gryffindor tie. Fred raised a hand to the back of her neck and tilted her head up to deepen the kiss.

With her head spinning and heart pounding Luna tugged on the bottom of his school vest and Fred didn't hesitate to break the kiss so she could pull it over his head. Luna placed her hands flat against his chest, just under the first fastened button of his school shirt.

"What's gotten into you?" Fred asked as he glanced down at her hands before meeting her eyes.

"Nothing," Luna shrugged as she pressed her lips against his and began to unbutton his shirt quickly.

Apparently with Fred being naked from the waist up and Luna being completely clothed was a problem that needed to be remedied. Fred was much quicker in taking off Luna's robe, vest, and tie, but just as soon as he put his fingers to the button of her shirt Luna froze.

Seeing him without a shirt wasn't anything new, but this was something entirely different. Sensing her discomfort, Fred slowly started to unbutton one button at a time. This was giving her a moment to think. Was this her limit?

Well, no. He had seen her in just a bathrobe before. A bathrobe that he looked down into if she was remembering correctly.

So, when Fred unbuttoned the last button and pushed the shirt off of her shoulders slowly she didn't protest. Fred rested his forehead on her neck and exhaled a small breath.

"Too much," Luna said.

"I thought so," he agreed. "We've made progress though."

Luna gave a carefree laugh and ran a hand through his red hair. He tilted his head up to look at her and kissed her softly on the mouth.

"Lunch?" he proposed.

Nodding in agreement, Luna slid off of the desk and began to pick up her clothes.

"Does it feel like I used you?" Luna asked. "I was just curious."

"Used me?" Fred asked incredulously. "Not at all. That was fantastic."

Luna laughed again and shook her head. Yes, it would be a long time until she gave herself to him, and yet it had never felt sooner.


	62. Choices

_086. Choices_

"So, why am I here?" Luna asked Professor McGonagall as she sat down in a chair in front of the professor's desk.

"Career discussion," McGonagall said. "Usually we start this in the fifth year, but we decided to start with fourth years so that you understand the importance of the O.W.L.s you'll be taking next year."

Luna gave a nod of understanding before she glanced over her shoulder. Professor Umbridge was already furiously scribbling away on a pad of parchment even though the meeting hadn't started yet.

"Why is Professor Umbridge here?" Luna asked, turning back to Professor McGonagall.

"So that you have another opinion about your choices, Miss Lovegood," Umbridge said in her high-pitched voice.

"Oh, all right," Luna nodded.

"Well, Miss Lovegood, even though you have quite a long time till graduation, have you thought about your future?" McGonagall asked as she folded her hands in front of her.

"A little bit," Luna said.

The last thing she wanted was for Umbridge to find out her dream of becoming a naturalist. Since Umbridge was so high-ranking in the Ministry it was possible that she would make it impossible for Luna to get a job. But if she lied then she wouldn't have the right sources to try and become a naturalist.

"What have you thought about?" McGonagall asked.

"I would like to become a naturalist," Luna admitted and she heard Umbridge scribble even harder on to her pad.

"I think that's very well suited to you, Miss Lovegood," McGonagall said as she rifled through some pieces of parchment on her desk before choosing one. "That would require an N.E.W.T. in both Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions would come in handy for that as well."

An N.E.W.T. in Herbology? She didn't have a chance. Still she listened as McGonagall gave her some advice and wrote down a list of recommendations for her.

Luna was just about to leave when Umbridge excused herself and left the office. As soon as the door closed behind her Luna heard McGonagall give out an audible sigh of relief.

"Finally she's gone," McGonagall said.

"Do you not like Professor Umbridge, Professor?" Luna asked.

"Not exactly," McGonagall said with a chuckle.

In that moment Luna realized that she had two choices. She could thank Professor McGonagall for her time and leave or she could tell her the truth about Umbridge's detention. If she told McGonagall the truth then Umbridge would probably be fired and no other student would have to go through what Luna had to do. But if she told her then her father would be in danger.

Luna accepted that leaving it quiet for now was the best solution and she was turning toward the door when McGonagall spoke out to her.

"Miss Lovegood, please wait one moment," Professor McGonagall said suddenly. "I need to discuss something with you."

Turning back around, Luna sat down in the chair across from McGonagall once more.

"Usually these meetings are done with each student's Head of House," McGonagall started. "I asked Professor Flitwick if I could talk with you instead."

"Why?" Luna asked.

"Back when I was in school I had a friend who was courting an older boy," McGonagall said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "He was three years older than her and it was obvious that they were very fond of each other, but after he graduated things changed between them. She ended up marrying him and giving up her dreams for the sake of his own."

Luna knew exactly where this was going and she too felt very uncomfortable. It was strange enough thinking of McGonagall as her age, but even stranger that she was giving her advice on a topic like this.

"It's hard not to notice you and Mr. Weasley," McGonagall continued and Luna just wished that she would stop talking. "I just want you to know that you have choices, Luna. You don't have to be with him forever, but if you do choose that just know that you may have to put your dreams aside. Especially in the case of a… well."

McGonagall cleared her throat and looked around the office before leaning in toward Luna.

"In the case of an unplanned pregnancy," she finished.

If there was ever a time Luna would choose to die of embarrassment it would have been that moment. Her face heated up instantly and she began to stammer. She wanted to properly defend herself.

"You're much too young for a child, so don't risk anything," McGonagall continued. It was as if she couldn't stop. "I know they created all of those contraceptive charms, but it's better to just wait until marriage. Then if a baby does pop out you'll be in a stable relationship with finances to provide-."

"Professor McGonagall," Luna interjected. "I appreciate your concern, but that is not going to happen. I love Fred and he loves me and he won't make me give up my dream. I don't think the baby issue is anything to be concerned about either."

Standing up quickly, Luna walked out of the office and into the hallway. Umbridge was standing outside of the door with a toad-like smile on her face, but Luna ignored her and kept marching on. Finally she reached the Great Hall where students were enjoying lunch and she sped over to the Gryffindor table.

Fred was talking with a group of his friends and he couldn't even get out a word of greeting when she grabbed the elbow of his robes and pulled him from the bench. She led him out into the entrance hall with him asking bewildered questions behind her.

"Please don't make me give up my dream by getting me pregnant," she spilled out as soon as they were alone.

"What?" Fred asked. "Lu, what are you talking about?"

"I just had a career advice meeting with Professor McGonagall-," Luna started.

"Ugh, I hated those," Fred interrupted.

"Fred, listen!" Luna cried. "She started talking about her school years and her friend getting married and unplanned pregnancy and it just made me so… so-."

"Uncomfortable?" Fred prompted.

"Scared," Luna admitted. "Fred, I was so scared. What if that does happen and I don't have a choice? What if we don't have a choice? You'll have to work at the Ministry and I'll be at home all day with the baby and- and the joke shop and becoming a naturalist and not doing the boring jobs and-."

Fred effectively cut her off by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him.

"Luna we haven't even had sex yet," he said.

"I know, but we will," she sighed as she wrapped her arms around his back. "What if we have a baby?"

"Then that baby is going to have the most interesting parents in the world," Fred said, shrugging his shoulders. "We always have choices."

Sighing and relaxing a bit, Luna looked up at Fred and rested her chin on his chest.

"You always know what to say," she said.

"I try," Fred said.

Luna stood on her tip toes and Fred bent his head down. Their lips met halfway and Luna felt herself relax even more.

"I love you," she sighed.

"I love you too," he said. "Even if you're ridiculously paranoid."


	63. Water

_051. Water_

It was two o'clock in the morning and Luna was sitting in the boathouse with Fred. Dumbledore was gone, Umbridge was the new Headmistress, and the D.A. was officially over. Security was much tighter, but Fred and Luna had been able to sneak out. They hadn't had a chance to talk all day, so it felt that now was their only chance.

"Things are getting quite bad, aren't they?" Luna asked as she leaned her back against the glass window.

"Definitely," Fred sighed as he sat down across from her.

Luna rarely ever saw Fred like this. He was so quiet and thoughtful and worried. It truly was a strange mixture to see in him.

There were several long minutes of silence when Fred grabbed one of Luna's hands and gave it a small squeeze. She glanced up at him and caught a reassuring smile forming on his face.

"It will work itself out," he shrugged.

"Do you really believe that?" Luna asked earnestly.

"No," Fred half-laughed. "With all that's going on, I'm not sure what to believe."

Nodding in understanding, Luna grasped his hand tighter. It felt like something bad was coming. As if all of the peace she had been enjoying her entire life was coming to an end. Before she could express these concerns to Fred, he stood up and yanked her up along with him.

"Let's go on a nice, relaxing boat ride," he proposed as he released her hand and headed toward the nearest boat.

"What?" Luna asked. "If someone looks out a window we'll be caught!"

"Lu, Filch is the only one awake this time of night," Fred said. "Plus, he's too focused on what's happening in the castle, not out."

Luna pressed her lips together and pretended to think about it. She already wanted to go. After all that had happened lately, she really didn't care if she got caught. Besides, Mr. Filch probably couldn't swim anyway.

Fred hopped into a boat and outstretched his hand to help her in. Luna took it gratefully and sat down on one of the wooden seats. Sitting across from her, Fred untied the rope from the port and looked at the boat expectedly.

"What now?" he asked.

"Are there any oars around here?" Luna questioned as she glanced around the boathouse.

"We shouldn't need oars," Fred said. "The boats are magically carried across the water."

They couldn't even pitch ideas of how to get the boat started, when it jerked to life. The boat exited the boathouse easily before sailing out on to the vast Black Lake.

"Well, that was convenient," Fred said appreciatively as he patted the side of the boat.

"It sure was," Luna agreed.

Soon, they were in the middle of the Black Lake. The castle was completely dark except for a few lanterns lit outside. The boathouse was completely illuminated, but other than these few lights and the stars and moon, the world was dark and silent.

"It's a little eerie out here," Fred said, looking around him.

"I think it's wonderful," Luna breathed. "It's as if we're the only two people in the world."

Fred lit his wand and Luna did the same. They could now see each other clearly and Luna could tell just by his expression that Fred had something on his mind. That was fine because she had something on her mind as well.

"Say it," Fred said suddenly.

Luna looked at him with confusion, but then she realized that he could read her just as well as she could read him.

"This summer my dad is going on our annual Crumple-Horned Snorkack expedition," Luna said. "I'm not. I was hoping that I could spend the summer with you at the Burrow. Ginny will be there as well, so it will be a good excuse, and I'll want to spend time with her as well, so-."

"George and I are leaving tomorrow," Fred said quickly.

Her heart probably stopped beating for a full minute. Luna couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was leaving? Leaving her alone at this school? With the D.A. she had friends, but without Fred it would just feel so empty.

"What?" Luna finally managed.

"We bought a place on Diagon Alley and we're going to turn it into the joke shop," Fred said with excitement in his voice.

"That's great," Luna said honestly. "But, why can't you wait until school is over? Don't you want to graduate?"

"In our line of business we won't need to graduate," he said easily.

Disappointment and understanding were two things that were mixing inside of her in that moment. She glanced into the dark water and felt her stomach begin to drop.

"What am I going to do without you though?" Luna asked.

She hated sounding like she depended on him, but this was his last year. After this it would be over and she would have to resort to summer and winter holidays to see him.

"Spend time with your friends, do your classwork, write me letters, and make Umbridge's life a living hell," Fred listed off.

Luna gave a small half-smile and a nod of her head.

"Then, I'll pick you up at King's Cross Station and you can spend the entire summer with me," he said.

Blue eyes met brown curiously. He was nervous about something. Fred scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

"Well, the shop has a flat over it," he started. "George gets his own room, I get mine. And, Lu, we're not exactly strangers to sharing a bed and what your dad doesn't know won't hurt him and-."

"Yes," Luna said firmly.

"What?" Fred asked.

"Yes, I will stay with you in your flat all summer," Luna agreed happily.

"Really?" Fred pressed. "Are you sure? George and I aren't the best housekeepers. With a store below us all summer it will be hard to focus. You won't have much privacy either."

"Stop trying to talk me out of your own idea," Luna said.

Fred stared at her, probably trying to get a read on her, before giving a small smile.

"Well, then it's settled," he nodded.

Luna nodded as well before she let out a small yawn.

"Want to head back?" Fred asked.

"Uh-huh," Luna confirmed. "But how do we make the boat go back to the boathouse?"

"That is a very good question," Fred said.


	64. Diamond

_048. Diamond_

Luna stepped off of the Hogwarts Express to see a cluster of red-heads all huddled together. Smiling, Luna marched over to the group and in instant she found who she was looking for. Before she could even get a greeting out Fred was spinning around and looking at her with a mixture of relief and anger.

"You went to the Ministry of Magic," he stated. "You went to the Ministry of Magic. Luna, you _went to the Ministry of Magic!_"

"I know," Luna said meekly as she shrunk away from him slightly.

"You could have died!" he exclaimed. "You could have been hurt or captured or… killed! You could have been killed!"

"I think that falls under the same category as dying," Luna pointed out, but this did nothing to lighten the mood.

"Not only did my two younger siblings go, but you as well!" Fred said, running a hand through his hair. "I was so terrified and worried. No one could get a hold of your dad because he's somewhere in the bloody Amazon, so…"

Fred took a shaky breath before shaking his head. Luna reached forward and grabbed his hand tenderly. She gave it a brief squeeze before looking around the station. Everyone was looking at them with interest and confusion.

"You're making a scene," she said softly.

"Since when have I ever cared about making a scene?" Fred asked as he placed a hand on her cheek. "Don't ever make me worry like that again."

"I can't promise anything," Luna said teasingly.

"Luna, please," Fred said sternly.

It was a bit unnerving to see Fred so serious and worried. She had seen him like this before, but those were very rare experiences. Luna took a small step toward him before wrapping an arm around his middle and pressing her cheek against his chest.

"I promise," Luna said.

They stayed like that silently for a bit. It was nice to be in his arms again. It was true that he had only left in early April, but it felt like ages ago. She didn't know how she was going to survive the first term of the next school year without him. These thoughts were going through her head when she noticed the smooth material her cheek was pressed against.

"Nice jacket," Luna commented as she leaned back slightly to get a better look.

"Oh, yeah," Fred said as he too looked at the jacket. "It's dragon skin. Very expensive."

Luna looked up at Fred with wide eyes. "You stole it?"

"What, no!" Fred chuckled. "I bought it."

"With what money?" Luna asked.

"The money I earned from the shop, George bought one too," Fred said.

A quick glance over at the other Weasley twin was all it took for this to be confirmed. Luna turned back to Fred with her lips parted slightly and an impressed look on her face.

"You're doing it," she said softly. "Fred, you're living your dream."

"Yeah, well profits might go down in the next few weeks," Fred shrugged. "The shop is still really new, so everyone wants to come now. I doubt it will last long."

"I think it will," Luna said firmly.

"How do you know that?" Fred asked. "You haven't even seen the shop yet."

"I know because of you, Fred," Luna said easily. "When you give your all into something it always turns out perfectly."

Fred grinned and shook his head before putting an arm around her shoulders and turning toward his family. All of the Weasleys plus Harry, Hermione, and various Order members were standing around talking. None of them except George and Ginny knew that Luna was going to stay with Fred and George all summer. Their cover-up story was that Fred was just going to bring her back to her uncle's house. This was a complete lie since Luna didn't even have an uncle.

After a bit of talking and Mrs. Weasley fussing over Luna, the Weasleys and company finally left leaving Fred and Luna on the platform alone except for a few stragglers.

"Well, we should get going, I suppose," Luna said. "I'd like to stop by my house first, if that's okay. I'll need to pick up a few things since I'm going to be staying the entire summer with you."

"All right," Fred said and he took her hand as they walked through the brick barrier.

They were walking through the crowd of Muggles when Fred stopped and started to wring his hands together nervously.

"Fred, what is it?" Luna asked as she too stopped and turned around.

"Promise me you'll stay calm," he said. "And that you won't jump to conclusions."

"About what?" Luna asked, now feeling slightly nervous.

Fred took a deep breath before walking toward her and reaching a hand into a pocket of his jacket. From the jacket he withdrew a small, velvet box. He then popped the box open to reveal a small silver ring with a moon-shaped diamond in the middle.

"Don't freak out," Fred said quickly.

"Fred, are you proposing?" Luna asked as she looked from the ring to him. "Are you proposing to me in the middle of a train station?"

"I told you not to jump to conclusions," Fred said hastily as he took the ring out of the box. "It's not an engagement ring; we're way too young for that."

"Then what is it?" Luna asked.

"A promise ring," he explained. "My mum told me about them ages ago, dad got her one when they were in school. It's a promise that I will stay faithful to you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It's a bit like an engagement ring, but entirely different. Sort of."

Luna pressed her lips together and tried not to giggle at Fred's longwinded speech. She took the ring from him and slipped it on to her left ring finger. It fit perfectly and she looked at it approvingly.

"Well, then let's go," she said with a nod before turning around and beginning to walk again.

"Is that a yes, then?" Fred asked as he walked quickly to catch up with her.

"Of course," Luna said with a smile. "I'm yours, Fred. I thought you already knew that."

Fred looked at her before smiling and taking her hand again, his thumb stroking over the diamond of the ring.

"Yeah, and I'm yours too," he said as he kissed the top of her head.


	65. Days

_007. Days_

The first thing that was acknowledged when Luna woke up one summer morning was how perfect everything was. It had only been a few days since she had come to live in the flat above Weasleys Wizard Wheezes and her schedule had been blissfully the same each day.

She would wake up in a recently empty bed before heading across the hall to the kitchen to get some food. After taking a shower and getting dressed, Luna would head downstairs and join Fred and George in the shop.

Smiling happily, Luna stood up and stretched before exiting the room she shared with Fred and heading toward the kitchen. Once she was in the kitchen she began to search through a cabinet for some cereal when an arm looped around her stomach. Luna stumbled backward against a broad chest as she looked up.

Fred was grinning at her broadly before he bent his head down and kissed her. Luna stretched an arm up and gently tousled his short, red locks. Their lips were broken and Luna spun around so that she could look at him fully.

"Good morning," he said, grinning at her wolfishly.

"Good morning," she said in turn. "Why are you not down at the shop?"

"Well, we hired someone to help out, so I wasn't exactly needed," Fred shrugged as he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him.

"That's good," Luna said as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"And since I'm free at the moment, I was thinking…" Fred trailed off as the hands that he had placed on her hips ventured lower.

Luna immediately shook her head and Fred's expression went from hopeful to hopeless. Sidestepping, Luna reached back into the cabinet and pulled out a box of cereal before placing it on the table and heading to another cabinet to get a bowl.

"I'm getting tired of having cereal for breakfast every day," Luna said absentmindedly.

Glancing at Fred, it was easy to tell that he was still trying to recover from the rejection that he had just received. He looked at her with his mouth slightly open and then shook his head and sighed.

"I thought living together would be great," he said thoughtfully. "But I'm just as frustrated as before."

"Frustrated with our breakfast choices?" Luna asked as she took a spoon from a drawer and grabbed the milk.

"No, with you," Fred said quickly.

Luna froze. Well, she certainly hadn't been expecting that. They had only been living together for a few days and he was already getting aggravated with her. Placing the milk and spoon on the table, Luna turned around and placed her hands on her hips.

"Why?" she asked.

"Well, not _you_, but not being able to… just forget it," he said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I don't think I'm capable of forgetting it now," Luna said. "Not being able to do what, Fred?"

Fred gave her a long, meaningful look. It was clear that he didn't want to say what he had been thinking for so long. Luna's expression was all it took for him to fess up though.

"Not being able to touch you without stopping," he said softly.

Luan's face instantly colored and she turned around quickly to face the table. The topic that was the biggest issue between them was always finding its way into their conversations. Luna tapped her fingers on the wooden tabletop before she spun around to see Fred gazing at her from the counter.

"Oh," she said simply. "Well that was forward."

"Since when am I not forward?" he asked, a playful grin tugging at his lips. "Much more forward than you anyway."

An eyebrow was perked at this and Luna knew that now he was just messing with her.

"Really?" Luna asked. "I'm not forward?"

"You're blunt, sure," Fred shrugged. "But sometimes it's hard to get you to come out and say it."

"I think you just contradicted yourself," Luna said thoughtfully.

"Maybe," he said, his grin growing.

She knew what he was doing. This wasn't exactly something he had never done before. Fred was a man who knew what he wanted and knew exactly how to get that very thing from her. But to play along was something Luna always had to determine for herself.

The setting was different, and vastly more private. Usually he did this in the Great Hall, the school grounds, or in the corridors at school. Now they were in a kitchen at his flat with no one around. Taking a breath and rolling her eyes, Luna marched over to him and got as close to him as possible without them actually touching.

"Do it," she said firmly.

He didn't have to be told twice. Fred placed his hands back on her hips and she wrapped her arms around his neck before he turned on the spot and they both fell on to the bed in their shared room. Fred quickly pressed Luna's back against the mattress before cupping her face and kissing her hungrily.

Luna kept her arms around his neck as she moved her lips against his and wrapped one of her legs around one of his own. Fred groaned against her mouth and moved his hand to the back of her head where he ran his hand through her blonde curls. His lips traveled down to her collarbone as he started to unbutton her sleep shirt.

Since Luna wasn't wearing a bra Fred stopped unbuttoning just above her cleavage. That didn't stop him from kissing her pale skin and slipping a hand under the shirt to stroke her bare stomach.

"I don't know how much longer I can go without having you," Fred breathed as he withdrew his hand from her shirt and brought his lips back to hers.

"You're going to have to wait a little while longer," Luna mumbled against his open mouth.

"Days?" he inquired.

"That add up to months, most likely," Luna responded.

Fred stopped his assault on her mouth and he looked down at her. His expression didn't give away much, but Luna could tell that he wasn't too pleased with this news.

"And that's just fine," he said with a small half-smile before bringing his lips back to hers.


	66. Yellow

_013. Yellow_

The shop was closing for the day and Luna was helping Verity, one of the new employees, clean up. Fred and George were in the backroom discussing something top secret. Whether it was about the shop or the Order, Luna didn't know.

"Well, that's it for tonight," Verity said as she finished restocking a shelf of trick wands. "I'll see you tomorrow, Luna."

"Bye," Luna said with a wave as she watched Verity exit the shop and disapparate.

Today the shop was closing early. Luna had no idea why. Business had been great and it was only six o'clock. Fred and George had their reasons though, and Luna didn't meddle in their problems. Since Death Eaters could strike at any moment it was crucial that Luna didn't get mixed up in any of the Order problems.

After finishing her share of work, Luna was about to head upstairs to the flat when Fred emerged from the backroom.

"Is Verity gone?" Fred asked as he looked around the shop.

"She just left," Luna confirmed. "Where's George?"

"At the Burrow," Fred said casually as he leaned against a shelf.

"Why is he at the Burrow?" Luna asked slowly.

"Well, mum invited us to have dinner," he shrugged. "We said yes."

"Oh," Luna nodded. It's not like Mrs. Weasley would invite her to dinner, she didn't know that Luna was staying with the twins.

"She invited you," Fred continued.

Luna perked up at this. She had completely forgotten her cover story. Instead of going on the usual expedition she was at her imaginary uncle's house.

"What did you say?" Luna asked.

"I said I would ask," Fred said. "So, do you want to go?"

"Yes," Luna said a little too quickly.

There were a few reasons for Luna's strong desire to go to the Burrow: She wanted to see Ginny, a home cooked meal was a very welcome thing, and Luna really wanted to get to know Fred's family. Twirling the ring on her finger, Luna's head was swimming with thoughts. They had basically confirmed their plans for marriage after all. Formally meeting his family was something she had to do eventually.

"All right, well let's go," Fred said as he walked toward her.

The couple exited the shop and after Fred locked the door he took Luna's hand in his. The two turned on the spot and in a matter of seconds they were standing in front of the Burrow. Fred turned to face Luna.

"Last chance to turn back," he warned.

"I'm sure I can manage it," Luna said.

Despite her firm answer, Luna felt herself getting nervous. Meeting new people never got her nervous, but for some reason she felt very flustered. Looking down at herself, she began to wonder if wearing such a bright yellow shirt was a good idea.

Fred knocked on the door and after an exchange between him and someone else on the opposite side of the door, the old piece of wood swung open. Instantly Luna was smacked in the face with the smells of a terrific meal and all of her hesitance went away. If anyone asked her an uncomfortable question she could just stuff her face with food instead.

The person who had opened the door was Fred's father, Arthur Weasley. He ushered them in quickly before closing the door.

"How have you been?" Mr. Weasley asked Fred as he patted him on the back.

"I've been great," Fred said, grinning at Luna.

"And you, Luna?" Mr. Weasley asked, turning to her. "How do you like living with your uncle?"

"Oh, it's fine," Luna said quickly.

The three stood awkwardly in front of the door before Mr. Weasley looked at both of them and turned to head toward the dining room. Looking a bit farther ahead, Luna could see that everyone was already sitting around the table

"Dad's not very good at small talk," Fred said. "Not unless it's about Muggles."

"I can tell," Luna noted.

Fred shrugged and then began to walk toward the dining room. Luna followed and soon they were in a very crowded room. Some people she knew, some she didn't. Fred sat down next to George, and Luna took a seat between Ginny and Fred.

"Well, now that we're all here," Mrs. Weasley said as she came bustling into the room, a steaming pot in her hands. "We can eat."

She placed the pot in the center of the table before removing her yellow potholders. Sitting down next to her husband, Mrs. Weasley removed the lid from the pot and everyone peered in to see a very hearty looking stew.

"It's not much," Mrs. Weasley said sheepishly as she began to slice a loaf of bread. "I've just been so scared lately to leave to go to the market."

"It looks wonderful," Luna commented.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her broadly. "Well, for that you get the first helping."

Luna let out a small laugh before taking the ladle that was in the pot and scooping stew into her bowl. She was just about to go for another when a loud gasp disrupted her.

The ladle fell from Luna's hand and fell back into the pot as she looked up at the source of the gasp. Mrs. Weasley was staring at Luna's left hand with her eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open.

"What?" Luna asked as she glanced around the rest of the table.

Everyone else was gawking at her hand as well and Luna began to wonder if she had a nasty cut or something. Then she noticed it. They were all staring at her ring.

Quickly, Luna placed her hand on her lap and bunched up her yellow shirt nervously. Mrs. Weasley's attention wasn't on Luna anymore, now it was turned on Fred.

"What did you do?" Mrs. Weasley asked almost viciously.

"I bought her a ring," Fred said, failing to find the reason for his mother's sudden change of attitude.

"Well, that's fine, if a bit soon, but fine," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "But, why did you buy it?"

"You were the one who told me about them," Fred said even more confused than before.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes were now slits as she looked from Fred to Luna. The two were both extremely confused. Luna glanced over at Ginny who was trying to stifle giggles.

Molly continued to look from Fred to Luna until she let out a gasp that rivaled her last. Her brown eyes quickly zoned in on Luna's stomach and Luna thought for one wild moment that this was about her yellow shirt.

If only it was about the yellow shirt.

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Everyone else at the table was either laughing or in complete shock. Fred and Luna just sat there feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Of course!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "Asking me about rings, being so quick to agree to the dinner invitation. Fred, you finally get a real girlfriend and the first thing you do is get her pregnant. I have never been so disappointed. I thought we raised-."

"Um, Mrs. Weasley," Luna cut in timidly. "I'm not pregnant. It's just a promise ring."

Now everyone was laughing. Fred looked at her with a small smile and Mrs. Weasley turned her head slightly before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Oh," she sighed. "A promise ring."

The table was silent until Mr. Weasley spoke up.

"That still is very serious," he said, folding his hands together on the table. "Luna, you're only sixteen-."

"Fifteen, actually," Luna interjected.

Mr. Weasley nodded in acknowledgement before continuing. "How can you be so sure that you're going to feel the same way about each other forever?"

Luna was about to tell him that she had always been sure. That she knew Fred was the only one for her, when Fred began to speak.

"Because she's my everything," Fred said.

Instantly Luna's face flushed and she looked down at her yellow shirt. Everyone around the table seemed a bit shocked that something so serious and sincere had come from Fred's mouth.

Arthur just nodded though and turned to his wife. "Pass the bread, please."


	67. Sunrise

_031. Sunrise_

Sitting on the tiny roof of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Luna pulled her knees up to her chest and looked out on to the city. London was a lovely city, if a bit crowded for her taste. It was about 6 in the morning and she was waiting for the sun to rise.

For some reason a small thing such as watching the sunrise comforted Luna. During the annual Crumple-Horned Snorkack expeditions her father would wake her up just in time for the sun to come up over the horizon. She missed her father desperately and the letter she had received from him was the longest letter he had sent her in a while.

It was all of the things that she expected, and a few things that she didn't. Her father had never been the most serious or observant man, but the letter proved that he could be when he wanted to. Slipping a hand into her pocket, Luna withdrew a well-worn piece of parchment that was folded into the shape of a bird.

Smiling softly, Luna unfolded the parchment flap by flap until she came across the familiar, messy scrawl. The letter started off with the usual greetings: asking how she was, what she had for breakfast that morning, telling her that he missed her, no sign of the Snorkack, and that he was having a wonderful time. After these words of normalcy, the letter began to take a route so different from anything she had ever heard her father say. If it wasn't for his handwriting, she would have believed that someone else had written it.

_Now, Luna what I'm going to tell you next is important, so read closely! _

_I know that you're not staying with the Weasley family this summer. Well, actually you are, but not where you think I think you're staying. You're staying with that boy, aren't you? Actually the term "man" would work better, wouldn't it? He is technically, of course. I understand why you lied and I would be lying too if I said that it put me at ease. _

_But I believe you love him. I also believe that he loves you as well. So, my dear Luna, it has become evident to me that I am no longer the most important man in your life. This is very unsettling truth for a father to come to terms to though, but I accept it._

The letter continued on like that for a while before he signed off.

There were so many things she didn't know about her father. He was a mystery to her entirely, but Fred wasn't. Fred had never been a mystery waiting to be solved. He always came out and said what he was thinking, he never hid anything from her. His honesty and openness were the two things that she loved most about him.

Folding the letter back into its previous shape, Luna placed it back in her pocket before checking her watch. Sunrise would be happening soon. There was something so pure and simple about the sun rising. It was like a do-over option. Every bad thing could be reversed or forgotten. A new beginning in a way.

Just as the first rays of light began to peek over the horizon, the small trap door that led to the roof swung open. Luna turned her head to see Fred popping his head out of the square-shaped hole.

"Good morning," Luna greeted.

Fred hoisted himself out of the hole before standing on the roof and closing the door casually with his foot. He walked over to Luna and placed a kiss on the top of her head before joining her on the roof's edge.

"Morning," he groaned, leaning into her slightly.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"Our room is right below," Fred shrugged with a huge yawn. "I heard someone walking around up here and then I realized that you weren't next to me."

Luna smiled at him before resting her head against him as she continued to look at the horizon. Fred laced their fingers together and his thumb pressed against the diamond of her ring.

"Mum is still freaking out," he said.

"I'm not pregnant," Luna giggled. "I'm still a virgin after all."

"Yeah, well she has it in her mind that I'm 'dirtying up a young girl'," he said, moving his fingers up and down in air quote-fashion.

"She did not say that," Luna said, turning her head to look up at Fred.

"Word for word," Fred sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, well. She can think what she wants. We're not having sex, but she's convinced that we are."

Turning her head even more, Luna pressed her chin against his bicep. He looked down at her and smiled before wrapping an arm around her waist. Fred was in the process of dipping his head to connect their lips when Luna turned her head to face the horizon again.

"Oh!" she gasped as the sun revealed itself entirely and Fred's lips connected with the side of her head instead.

Fred released a puff of air into her blonde curls as he too moved his eyes toward the horizon.

"I get turned down because of the sun peeking through the bloody clouds," he sighed, leaning back against the tiled roof on his elbows.

"It's rising, Fred, not peeking through the clouds," Luna said, looking back at him.

Giving her a dubious look, Fred coiled a hand around Luna's wrist and tugged on it gently. Luna got what he was trying to suggest and she too leaned back against the rooftop.

Without giving it a second thought, Luna reached back into her pocket and plucked out the bird-shaped parchment. She offered it to him and he took it cautiously. After turning it over in his hands about fifty times he looked at her questioningly.

"Unfold it," Luna prompted.

Fred nodded slowly in understanding. He unfolded the bird and began to read the letter. At first there was confusion across his features as to why she would let him read a typical letter from her father, and then his expression slowly turned into understanding. After finishing the letter, Luna saw his eyes move back to the top as he read it again.

Once he had finished, Fred attempted to fold it back, but just handed it back to her after a few failed attempts. He leaned back completely on the roof and folded his hands over his stomach before speaking.

"Is it true, then?" he asked.

"Is what true?" Luna asked in turn.

"That I'm the most important man in your life?" Fred inquired.

"Well, yes," Luna shrugged; she was a bit surprised that he didn't already know that.

There was a long pause. Long enough to make Luna wonder if showing him the letter was a good idea. Maybe he didn't want to know that. Maybe that unsettled him for some reason. Maybe-.

"Marry me, Luna," Fred said finally.

Or maybe he was completely insane.

Luna looked at him quickly with her lips parted and eyes wide before he realized what he had just said.

"Oh, shit," he said. "That was out loud, wasn't it? I take it back."

"You don't want to marry me?" Luna asked, almost teasingly.

"Are you crazy?" he asked, sitting up completely. "Of course I do. I want to do a lot of things with and to you, Luna. I've already started a list, but I'm still waiting for the approval stamp."

The not-so underlying meaning to what he had just said made her face heat up instantly. Fred laughed before placing an arm around her shoulders and pressing his forehead to hers.

"Luna," he breathed. "Just let me make love to you."

That was the first time that she had ever come so close to saying yes. But it felt so wrong to say yes. The letter from her father, Mrs. Weasley nearly having a heart attack only a few nights ago, and not to mention George asleep in the same building.

"No," Luna said, her voice coming out slightly squeaky.

"Well, thank Merlin for that," a voice said from behind them.

Fred and Luna turned around quickly to see George halfway out of the trap door. He had ridiculous bedhead and an expression of supreme disgust. Luna felt even more embarrassed while Fred just laughed it off.

"Mind your own business," Fred said.

"Last time I checked, I own this roof just as much as you do," George said.

It was obvious that a bit of brotherly banter was about to start, but a feminine and familiar voice reached them from below.

"George, where do you keep the bowls?" the voice called out.

"Uh, I'll be there in a moment," George called back.

"Is that Angelina?" Luna asked quickly before George could dart back into the flat.

"Maybe," he said before ducking back down, the door slamming shut behind him.

There were a few beats of silence before Luna faced to turn Fred. His expression was unreadable.

"Are you okay?" she asked meekly.

"I'm more upset about him not telling me than him dating my ex," he said almost thoughtfully. "Well, if I can even call her my ex. We only dated for a few days."

Nodding slowly, Luna began to finger one of her blonde curls. That wasn't exactly all that she had been asking about.

"As for you declining my most recent offer," Fred said. "It's fine. This isn't exactly the atmosphere I would wish to please you in anyway."

Luna almost laughed at his word choice, before realizing that he was being perfectly serious. She leaned forward, pressed her lips against his, and then stood up.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to get breakfast," she shrugged, walking toward the trap door and opening it.

"Well, when the day does come expect it to be the best night of your life," he continued. "Expect dim lighting-."

"Okay," Luna said descending into the flat below her.

"Rose petals, soft music," he listed off.

"Whatever you say," Luna called back to him as she entered the flat.

She was shaking her head and laughing, but it all sounded very Fred-like to her. She had known him for what felt like ages and she knew there was one thing about him that always stayed true.

He always kept to his word.


	68. Not Enough

_034. Not Enough_

It was just another day closing up the shop for the night. Verity had left early to go on a date with her boyfriend, so Luna was helping Fred and George clean up. She had finished her share and was about to head back up to the flat when the entrance bell chimed as the door opened. Turning, Luna was about to tell the customer that they were closed when she recognized the person walking in.

Angelina Johnson was still beautiful, tall, and athletic, causing Luna to attempt to ignore her own short legs. Luna pushed these thoughts to the back of her head as she walked toward Angelina.

"Hi, George is in the backroom," Luna said as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder.

"Oh, I was looking for you actually," Angelina said as she smiled at Luna.

"Why?" Luna asked bluntly.

"I think we should talk," Angelina shrugged, picking up a random box from a nearby shelf.

Her body language was giving nothing away at all. Luna had no idea what Angelina wanted to talk about and that made her slightly nervous. It was probably something about Fred and George rather than her just wanting some "girl talk". Well, that's was Ginny called it anyway.

"All right," Luna said slowly and uncertainly as she glanced at the door leading to the backroom.

"You don't need to tell them you're leaving," Angelina said, waving her hand dismissively. "We won't be gone long."

Luna nodded before she walked toward the exit with Angelina. The two girls headed out on to the deserted alley and without a word, Angelina began to walk quickly away from the shop. Luna almost had to jog to keep up and after minutes of walking Angelina came to a sudden halt.

"So," Angelina said, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "About Fred…"

Suddenly, a sickening feeling overcame her. Angelina was still in love with Fred. She was going to break George's heart and then seduce Fred. This wouldn't work though, because Luna trusted Fred and believed that there was no way that he would ever cheat on her. Besides, he had basically proposed to her only a few days ago.

"I've heard from George that you two are getting kind of serious," Angelina said and it was obvious that she was picking her words carefully.

"We've always been serious," Luna replied bluntly.

"Yeah, well I mean on a future kind of serious," Angelina clarified. "As in you two might be getting married soon."

"If by soon you mean years from now, then yes," Luna confirmed.

It was strange to hear this confession coming from her own mouth. She had always known that they would be together forever, but somehow marriage had never been mixed into that fantasy.

"Years away is fine, but George also informed me of another little issue," Angelina said. "I said I would talk to you about it."

"About what?" Luna asked.

"About how Fred might not be getting enough," Angelina said, obviously making her word choice vague.

"Enough what?" Luna asked, feeling as if this was just a big guessing game.

"Sex, Luna," Angelina finally blurted out.

"Well, he's not getting enough, because he's not getting any," Luna said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Angelina crossed her arms over her chest, before tilting her head to the side. Pressing her lips together, Angelina wrapped an arm across Luna's shoulders and steered her toward the curb. The two girls sat down and it took a few pauses of silence before Angelina got her thoughts together.

"It's fine that you're not having sex," she said. "Actually that's really great, Luna. I just figured that when the time comes you might not know enough to be comfortable. I heard that your mum passed away when you were little. Obviously no one has talked to you about this before."

"Well, Professor McGonagall attempted to," Luna said, her mind trailing back to that terribly awkward pregnancy talk.

"That sounds awful," Angelina said, blinking a few times before placing a hand on Luna's arm. "If you want me to give you a pep talk or a summary, or anything, I will. One girl to another."

Luna suddenly felt an entire rush of gratitude toward Angelina. She really just wanted to help and she felt like the first person who wasn't expecting her to have sex with Fred anytime soon. In fact she had practically congratulated her on her virginity.

"I'll let you know," Luna said honestly.

"Great," Angelina said before standing up. "We had better head back to the shop. George is going to take me out to dinner tonight."

"Sounds nice," Luna commented, standing up as well.

"That leaves the entire flat to you and Fred," Angelina said as she grinned at Luna. "Are you sure you don't want me to fill you in now?"

Luna laughed and shook her head as they headed back toward the shop. Once they reached the building they spotted Fred and George sitting outside on the curb. Fred looked relieved and George gave him an "I-told-you-so" look.

"Where have you been?" Fred asked, standing up and approaching Luna.

"Talking with Angelina," Luna shrugged.

Fred gave a nod as he glanced at George and Angelina from the corner of his eye. The two were holding hands. They gave waves of departure to Fred and Luna before disapparating.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me," Fred said as they headed back into the shop.

"Mmhm," Luna agreed as they ascended the stairs to the flat.

Once there they stood awkwardly in the hallway. Neither had planned on an evening alone together and both were at a blank as to what to do. Luna thought about conversation starters, but all she could think about was Angelina telling her that he wasn't getting enough.

"Am I not enough?" Luna blurted out.

Fred seemed rather startled by this sudden question and he raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"It's just… Angelina mentioned that you weren't getting enough," Luna shrugged as she walked into the sitting area.

"Not getting enough what?" Fred asked, as he followed her into the sitting room.

Instead of sitting on the couch or one of the chairs, Luna sat down on the floor and pressed her back against the coffee table. Fred sat down across from her, his back pressed against the couch.

"Physical stuff," Luna said, her face heating up slightly.

"Oh," Fred nodded. "I'm fine with what I have. I'm not saying I wouldn't like more, but I like what I have."

Luna nodded and the two sat in silence, just looking at each other. Taking a small breath, Luna leaned forward and gave Fred an open-mouthed kiss. He responded instantly, running a hand through her hair and sliding a hand on to her waist. The kiss quickly went from slow and coaxing, to hasty and fervent.

Fred pulled her even closer so that she was basically straddling him as he pulled her shirt over her head. His hands moved up and down the pale skin of her back, being careful not to accidently unclasp her bra. Luna slipped her hands under his t-shirt and brought her lips back to his once more. Soon his lips were moved to the crook of her neck and his hands unfastening the button of her shorts.

For some reason she didn't feel like stopping him. No matter what they did, it just didn't feel like enough. Everything was just not enough.

But at the same time it was too much.

The two little voices in her head were driving her insane.

Luna was quickly becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second. But she was still desperate for more of him. In her confusion, Luna repositioned herself slightly on his lap eliciting a groan from him.

It seemed that the moment was instantly gone. Fred moved his mouth away from her neck and looked back up at her. They were both extremely embarrassed. She had felt it earlier on, but she didn't know that just moving slightly would make him… well, make a noise like that.

"About what I said, wanting more and all that," Fred addressed, his face turning a light shade of pink. "I was joking."

"That doesn't feel like joking," Luna commented, her own face growing warm at her bold statement.

Fred raised an eyebrow at her as his hands cupped her hips.

"It doesn't?" he asked.

Luna shook her head before moving forward on his lap again. He was expecting it this time so he didn't make a single sound, but his hands gripped her hips more firmly.

"Merlin, Luna, if you don't stop it I'm going to take you right on the coffee table," he said, lifting her off of him to signal that he wanted her to get up.

The last thing she wanted was for the coffee table to be the place where she lost her virginity, so Luna stood and fastened her shorts. She was about to pick up her shirt when Fred placed his hands on her knees before sliding them up her thighs. An involuntary shiver ran through Luna as he kissed her bare stomach.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" he asked, pressing his chin against her stomach and looking up at her.

"Yes, but it's always nice to hear it," Luna said.

Fred grinned at her before taking her shirt and handing it to her. He stood up and looked at her before looking at the tent in his pants.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to tend to," Fred said. "Unless you would like to help."

"I think I'll pass," Luna said.

Fred gave an understanding, almost relieved nod before heading to the bathroom. Luna plopped down on to the couch and tried to still her rapidly beating heart. For some reason it felt like things were happening very quickly.

And she wasn't so sure if she liked that or not.


	69. Sight

_040. Sight_

It was the first of August and school was only a month away. It was impossible to come to terms with the summer being over so quickly. Luna had finally adjusted to living with Fred and was so accustomed to seeing him every day that she didn't want it to end. So, that afternoon as she sat with Ginny and Neville in Neville's living room it was hard for her to not glance at her watch.

She wanted to spend as much time as possible with Fred before the summer ended and she would see Ginny and Neville all school year. But, Ginny had insisted on them having a catch-up meeting. This catch-up meeting wasn't working out too well though, because Ginny's mind was focused on one topic. Instead of a three-way conversation, it was mostly one-way. One-way because Ginny was trying to convince Neville to get a girlfriend.

"Don't you like anyone, Neville?" Ginny asked.

"No," he said for what seemed like the thousandth time. "I'm fine with not having a girlfriend. I don't think girls like me too much anyway."

"We like you," Luna pointed out as she picked up her cup of tea and took a sip.

Neville's grandmother had been more than pleased to hear that Neville was having friends over and even more so when she found out that they were two girls. His grandmother wasn't that excited when she found out that neither Ginny nor Luna was his girlfriend and that they both had boyfriends. She had been more than happy to make them tea though and to reside in her bedroom so that they could have the privacy to talk.

"Well, Luna we like him as a friend," Ginny said. "We don't want to snog you."

"Not that you aren't worthy of being kissed, though," Luna interjected as she saw Neville look more depressed.

"I really have no interest in girls," he shrugged.

"Oh, so you're gay?" Ginny asked, her face clearing suddenly.

"No!" Neville denied, his face turning bright red.

"We wouldn't care if you were, Neville," Luna assured. "It actually makes a lot of sense."

"I'm not gay," Neville said sternly as he clutched the side of his head.

Luna and Ginny gave each other side-long glances before simultaneously taking long sips of tea. The sight of Neville so distressed over a single topic was hard to come by unless Professor Snape was involved, so this had Luna and Ginny quite amused.

"Moving on to another topic," Ginny started, and the relief on Neville's face was clearly visible. "My birthday is coming up. The eleventh, to be exact."

This time it was Luna and Neville who exchanged the side-long glances. Since Luna was usually with her father on the Crumple-Horned Snorkack expedition during Ginny's birthday, she would always just send her a package.

"Mum is insisting on doing a small get together at the Burrow and she said I could invite some friends," she continued. "And I invite you two."

"Okay," Luna said.

Luna assumed that Fred was also going, so she would likely be going as well. Since she lived in Diagon Alley she could just buy her something there. A lot of shops had closed down, but there were still street venders and Luna knew she had passed several jewelry booths before.

"I'll have to ask my Nan, but I don't know why she would say no," Neville said with a shrug.

Ginny beamed happily at them before placing her cup on the floor in front of her and wringing her hands together nervously.

"Something else on your mind?" Luna asked. "Or is it Wrackspurts?"

"Definitely not Wrackspurts," Ginny said. "I just need to get something off of my chest."

"Well, go on," Neville ushered, waving his hand to signify that it was okay to talk.

It was a weird sight to see Ginny so nervous. Especially when it was just the three of them and no one else was around. Well, Mrs. Longbottom was, but Luna didn't think she cared too much about what 3 teenagers were talking about.

"All right, so you know how I'm dating Dean Thomas?" Ginny prompted.

Neville and Luna both nodded their heads. They still had no clue where she was going with this.

"Well, I might just be dating him to make Harry jealous," Ginny blurted out.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she clamped her hand over her mouth as if she had just told someone else's secret. Neville and Luna nodded slowly.

"And?" Neville asked.

"What do you mean 'and'?" Ginny asked.

"Well, what else?" Neville asked.

"That's it," Ginny stated.

"Oh, well, all right," Neville said blankly.

This was obviously not the reaction Ginny was looking for, so she turned quickly to Luna for a different response.

"Um, it's kind of obvious that you still like him," Luna admitted with an easy shrug of her shoulders.

The three sat there in awkward silence before Ginny placed her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand. She looked at her two friends before exhaling a small breath.

"Hermione says I should just give up," Ginny said.

"Why?" Luna asked.

"Because I need to discover who I am, or something like that," Ginny said.

They continued to sit there in silence as Ginny moped and Luna and Neville had no idea what to say. A moping Ginny Weasley surely was a sight that had a very strange feel to it.

"I think you've always known who you are, to be honest," Luna said. "Now you know what you want, so why not go for it?"

Ginny looked at Luna thoughtfully before smiling at her widely.

"Have I ever told you that you're my best friend?" Ginny asked.

"Well, what does that make me?" Neville asked.

Luna and Ginny turned their attention to Neville who was looking at both of them. He didn't seem hurt by the comment. Then it dawned on them, Neville was making a joke.

"My favorite brother," Ginny said before scooting across the carpet and giving Neville a hug. "Come on, Luna, join in. Group hug."

Laughing, Luna moved over to them and joined in on the hug. There was a long pause before the three sprung apart and sat back down on the carpet.

"We're never doing that again," Ginny declared. "Deal?"

"Deal," Luna and Neville said at the same time, nodding their heads.


	70. Moon

_045. Moon_

Ginny's birthday get-together was just finishing up and Luna was helping Mrs. Weasley with the dishes. Everyone was in the sitting room talking, but Luna just wanted a break from all of the chaos going on. She was never good with a lot of people and stalling was something she was doing quite heavily at that moment.

It was obvious that Mrs. Weasley was doing the same thing. Obvious because instead of using her wand, Mrs. Weasley was hand washing the dishes and then passing them to Luna to dry and put up.

"Not too comfortable around big crowds, hm?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she passed a plate to Luna.

"Not really," Luna confessed, taking the plate from Mrs. Weasley and drying it with a dishtowel.

"Me neither to be honest," Mrs. Weasley confided.

Luna gave a small smile as she continued to dry dishes and place them in their respective cabinets or drawers. The process went on smoothly and quietly, that was until Luna noticed a trail of tears running down Mrs. Weasley's face.

"Mrs. Weasley," Luna said cautiously, placing a hand on her arm. "Are you all right?"

Hastily, Mrs. Weasley wiped her tears with the sleeve of her robe and gave a quick nod. She turned to face Luna and gave her a watery smile.

"I want to say thank you," she said. "Fred was been so happy lately. He may not be any more responsible, but he has… grown a bit. It's all because of you, I think."

There wasn't a response that Luna could even formulate in her mind. That was truly one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her. Her heart clenched in respect and gratitude, and without thinking Luna flung her arms around a startled Mrs. Weasley.

Molly gave a laugh as she patted Luna on the back before pulling away from her.

"Now, I can finish these dishes myself," she said. "It's getting late, why don't you get Fred to take you home."

Nodding, Luna gave a goodbye wave to Mrs. Weasley before exiting the kitchen and heading toward the sitting room. The room was packed with friends and family, but Luna only noticed Fred who was sitting with George and laughing at some joke. He looked up and their eyes met.

Fred gave a small grin before standing up and walking across the crowded room to meet her.

"Ready to go?" he asked, leaning down to her level.

"Yeah," Luna replied.

"All right then," Fred said before turning to face the room. "Well, I'm going to take Luna back home."

The entire room suddenly flooded with goodbyes and it was a full five minutes when they finally leaved. As they headed outside and disapparated, Luna held tight to Fred. Once the horrible sucking sensation was over, Luna opened her eyes and saw a vast field.

"Um, Fred, I don't think this is Diagon Alley," Luna said, still holding to Fred tightly.

"That's because it isn't," he shrugged, dragging her through the tall grass.

Despite it being summer, the air was chilly and Luna started to wrap her arms around herself as they walked. Fred noticed this instantly and shrugged off his jacket before handing it to her. She took it gratefully and slipped it on.

"So, where are we?" Luna asked, spinning around in the field to get a good view of her surroundings.

"In a field," Fred shrugged.

Luna resisted the urge to roll her eyes as they continued to walk toward who knew what. It was such a strange feeling, being in the middle of nowhere. Everywhere Luna turned all she saw was tall grass and the inky blue night sky.

"It's like we're on our own plain of the world," Luna said thoughtfully.

"I'd agree with that," Fred said, feigning thoughtfulness and nodding his head.

They continued to walk in comfortable silence, but soon Luna's feet were starting to hurt. Whether it be from walking or the sudden cold, she didn't know.

"Where are we going?" Luna asked, trying not to wince with every step she took.

"Just a bit further," Fred said.

By a bit he obviously meant fifteen minutes. Soon Luna was a considerable distance behind Fred and trying desperately to ignore the pain in her feet.

"Why couldn't you have just apparated to the spot?" Luna asked.

"Because I don't know exactly where it is," Fred said, stopping and waiting for Luna to catch up. "This isn't exactly a place where there are a lot of landmarks."

The urge to roll her eyes had never been greater, but Luna trekked on. She stopped once she reached Fred and before another word was spoken he picked her up bridal style and continued to walk.

"You've only carried me like this once before," Luna said quietly.

"Yeah, and that's a night I don't want to remember," Fred said.

Luna understood completely and kept quiet the rest of the trip. Finally, Fred stopped and Luna looked around to see what was so special about this spot.

"Close your eyes," Fred said.

Without asking questions, Luna closed her eyes and he began to walk again. Instead of walking on flat land, he was walking slightly upward. Apparently the field had a hill. After a few moments of walking, Fred stopped again and gingerly stood her back up. The soles of her feet were still sore, but she managed.

"All right," Fred said, walking behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders before moving her around a bit. "Now, open your eyes."

She did just that and as soon as she did her breath was taken away. It was the most beautiful landscape she had ever seen. There was a big lake and the moon reflected across the water. The moon was huge in the night sky and Luna absentmindedly began to stroke the moon-shaped diamond of her promise ring.

"It's so beautiful," Luna finally said once she found the words.

"I thought you'd like it," Fred grinned before taking her hand and pointing out across the water to a dark shape in the distance.

"What is that?" Luna asked, squinting into the darkness.

Fred took his wand out of his pocket and lit it before casting the light across the lake. The light flew through the sky before dipping down and illuminating a run-down cottage. From what Luna could tell, it was two stories and quite big, but covered in debris and weeds.

"It's lovely," Luna said.

"I'm going to fix it up while you're at school," Fred confessed, stuffing his hands in his pockets nervously. "Then, once we are much older, we can get married and live there. If you'd like."

Luna responded by kissing him.


	71. Work

_089. Work_

Summer was quickly coming to an end. The new school year was starting in just one week and Luna actually wanted to go back. Being with Fred the entire summer was amazing and fantastic and everything she had expected, but it was also boring. Fred worked all day leaving Luna to wander around the Alley by herself until the shop closed. This didn't work anymore though because of the state of the Alley. Things were getting dangerous and Luna didn't need to be told to not go outside.

She was going to miss Fred of course. But a little break wouldn't be too bad. A little break meant a week, but an entire term of school was going to kill her. He already promised to write and she would tell him Hogsmeade visit dates so that he could meet her there, but it was still sad to think about.

Fred was now a part of her summer and school schedule, so going to school and not having him there was going to be tough.

Currently, Luna was lying on the wooden floors of an old abandoned cottage in the middle of nowhere. Ever since Fred had shown it to her she had become obsessed with it. She wanted to start working on it as soon as possible, but she knew that it meant a lot to Fred to do this for her.

So, she was sketching different designs for the rooms. Every day before the shop would open, Fred would take her to the cottage to spend the day and he would go back to work at the shop.

Luna flipped her sketchbook open and began to outline the kitchen. Her cooking skills left much to be desired, and Fred was pretty awful, but every home needed a kitchen. She had just begun to sketch the counters when a loud pop interrupted her thought process.

Turning her head, Luna saw Fred standing at the other side of the cottage. He instantly saw her and walked toward her. Luna shut her sketchbook and stood up to greet him.

"Bored?" he asked, leaning down and giving her a brief kiss.

"No," she said, shaking her head.

"That's good," he said as he looked around the empty cottage. "So, what have you been drawing?"

He tried to grab her sketchbook, but Luna spun around and walked quickly to the other side of the room.

"You'll get to see in a week," Luna said. "I'm giving it to you before I leave for school."

Fred gave a fake agitated sigh before stuffing his hands in his pockets and exhaling. He continued to look around the cottage and Luna found herself following his line of vision.

It was a beautiful house with two stories and plenty of natural light. It was open and airy, yet cozy at the same time. She couldn't wait to see it finished.

"How did you even find this place?" Luna asked, taking her bag from the floor and slipping her sketchbook inside.

"Dumb luck," Fred shrugged. "When I had just learned how to apparate, that's all I wanted to do. I would focus on specific places that I knew, then general areas, then different landscapes. I thought about a lake and a field one day, and I turned up here."

"Well, I'm happy you did," Luna said as she walked toward the front door and motioned for him to follow.

Once outside, the couple walked toward the lake. Luna walked carefully around the muddy edge and peered into the water.

"Do you think there are fish in there?" Luna asked.

"Dunno," Fred shrugged. "We can always get some."

Luna nodded in approval before turning around to face the cottage. Despite the weeds and rotting wood, it was a beautiful sight. Luna was just having trouble figuring out how long it would take to clean it up. Glancing at Fred it was obvious that he was thinking the same thing. She shouldn't be worrying though, they wouldn't be living in the cottage for a long time, and until then they had all the time in the world.

"What are you going to start on first once I leave?" Luna asked.

"The outside probably," Fred said. "I'll clean up the lake and the surrounding area before the outside of the house."

"Going from out to in, hm?" Luna pondered out loud. "That makes sense."

"Then I figure I can clean up the inside and get all of the rooms sorted out," he continued. "After that's done you can decorate and everything."

It was hard not to laugh at the tone in his voice. When it came to picking out color patterns, Fred was completely lost. Luna wasn't much better, but she had old scrapbooks of different interiors her mother had put together.

"We should plant some trees outside," Luna said thoughtfully. "Maybe some shrubs and flowers."

"Yeah, okay," Fred nodded vaguely.

Apparently landscaping and interior design were under the same category. Luna looked at the cottage and tried to imagine it with large maple trees and delicate cherry blossom trees. The thought itself made her giddy and she couldn't wait to get started.

"It's going to cost so much money," Luna stated.

"Have you seen my business, Lu?" Fred asked in his usual cocky tone. "I don't think we'll be having any money issues."

Luna gave him a small smile, still not completely convinced, when a thought popped into her head.

"Speaking of your business, isn't your break only five minutes long?" Luna asked.

Fred looked at her then at his watch. He seemed to be debating over being late or not. Finally, he decided to go and kissed Luna goodbye before disapparating.

Luna made her way back into the cottage and retrieved her sketchbook from her bag when she got there. She flipped it open to where she had begun drawing the kitchen. The cottage was going to be amazing, but until then it just seemed like an awful lot of work.


	72. If

_082. If_

Luna woke up to the sun streaming through curtains and hitting her right on top of her eyelids. She gave a sleepy groan and rolled over, snuggling into Fred's chest. It felt much too early to be awake. Opening her eyes just a sliver, she glanced over at the watch on Fred's bedside table to see that it was only 10:30 AM on September 1st. She had no idea how people could wake up that early when it wasn't school.

"Oh!" Luna gasped as she sat up and snatched her own watch from her bedside table.

It was indeed September 1st, and she was running ridiculously late. Luna got out of bed and grabbed everything she needed to take a quick shower before exiting the bedroom and going into the bathroom in the hallway. She had completely forgotten all about school. There were only thirty precious minutes for her to reach the platform and to get on the train.

After a record breaking shower Luna rushed back into the bedroom, hastily drying her hair with a towel in the process. She had packed everything for school already, so there were only a few things left in her wardrobe. Opening the wooden doors to her wardrobe, she grabbed the clothes she needed before making her way back to the bathroom to change.

Her head was quickly checking off the to-do list she had made for herself as she once again dashed to the bedroom. She had packed all of her clothes, school supplies, toiletries, and random items. Slipping into a pair of worn shoes, Luna looked around the room and tried to figure out what she was missing. Packing was done, straightening up was finished, she could eat breakfast on the train, and she had left her sketchbook with Fred yesterday.

Luna patted her jacket and felt the familiar outline of her wand. Her radish earrings were dangling from her ears, the butterbeer cork necklace was around her neck along with her mother's necklace and the one Fred had given her for her fourteenth birthday. So, what else did she have to do?

Glancing at her watch, Luna noticed that there were ten minutes until the train left. Panicking slightly, Luna began to pace around the bedroom. What had she missed? What if it was really important and couldn't be mailed? What if she got in trouble for not having it?

She stopped her pacing and placed a hand on her cheek before looking at Fred. He was still in bed sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of Luna's inner turmoil.

Then it hit her.

"Fred!" Luna cried, sitting down on to the bed and shaking his shoulders. "The train leaves in less than ten minutes and you're the only way I have of getting there! Wake up!"

How could she have forgotten to wake him up?

Fred groggily opened his eyes, looked at her, and then grabbed his watch and looked at it. It was a full five seconds until he reacted.

"Dammit," he hissed as he fastened the watch around his wrist and stood up quickly. "Just give me five minutes."

Luna waited impatiently as he grabbed some clothes and ran out of the room. She heard the toilet flush, a few curse words from him bumping his toe on something, and then the door opening violently. His feet thumped loudly as he bounded across the hallway and ran back into the bedroom.

Fred grabbed the handle of Luna's trunk and outstretched his hand toward her.

"Do you have everything?" Fred asked as Luna took his hand.

"Yes," Luna confirmed.

With that, Fred turned on the spot and within seconds they appeared on the platform. Since they apparated going through the brick wall hadn't been necessary.

Luna looked up at the clock hanging from a brick arch. They had only two minutes to spare. Everyone was boarding the train or saying their goodbyes. Fred quickly gave Luna's trunk to one of the station workers to put in the luggage cart before quickly making his way toward her.

She expected him to give a hasty, meaningful goodbye. Instead he grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her deeply. His mouth was urgent against hers, as if he would never get enough. Hands were moving quickly over her body and pulling her closer to him.

The whistle of the train broke through the moment and they instantly parted. Luna quickly made her way on to the train. She found an open right inside the hallway and leaned out of it slightly. Fred outstretched his hand to her once more and again she took it.

"So, what happens now?" Luna asked.

"We wait," Fred said, almost jokingly.

"Of course," Luna nodded. "What if you meet some beautiful girl?"

"Then I'll meet some beautiful girl," Fred shrugged.

The train began to move at a slow and steady pace and Fred walked down the platform. Their hands were still locked together.

"What if you meet some good-looking boy?" he asked, a grin forming on his lips.

"I wouldn't really care," Luna said nonchalantly, her hand gripping his tighter.

Platform was running out and she knew the real goodbye was coming then.

"I love you," he said.

The platform was gone and their hands broke apart.

"I love you too!" Luna shouted at him.

Luna pushed herself a little more out of the train window and watched as he stood on the very edge of the platform, waving and waiting. Finally, the train took a turn and he was out of sight. She slipped completely out of the window and closed it.

She walked down the train corridor and tried to find the compartment Neville said that he would save for her. Ginny had already told them that she was going to share a compartment with Dean.

The compartment wasn't too far down the train. Luna sat down next to Neville and across from Harry who was also in the compartment. It wasn't until Harry asked her what was wrong when she noticed that she was crying.


	73. Blue

_015. Blue_

It was over. The first term of her fifth year was over and Luna was on her way home. As usual, the train was bustling with excitement for the Christmas holidays and Luna felt the same way. No homework for weeks and no obligation to study. She folded her arms across her chest and let out a contented sigh, positioning her blue Ravenclaw scarf around her neck.

Even though no homework and no studying were wonderful things, Luna was a bit more excited about something else. Seeing Fred was the first thing she was going to do when she got the chance. Then she would beg him to take her to the cottage so that she could see the progress he had made.

Whenever she was scowling at Herbology homework or studying for an exam, her mind would automatically drift to the cottage and everything would be right again. It was her sun on a cloudy day and she never really realized how much she missed it until it was gone.

She never realized how much she missed Fred walking her to class every day either. Or being with her on top of the Astronomy Tower. Sitting at the top of that tower alone was the loneliest feeling in the world.

Slowly, the train came to a halt and Luna exited it along with the rest of the students. She saw her father instantly, he was dressed in the usual ridiculous robes, this time in a shade of blindingly bright blue.

Xenophilius spotted his daughter just as quickly and embraced her into a light hug. Luna returned the hug and the pair looked at each other, both unsure of what to say.

"So, how was your first term?" Xenophilius asked as they collected Luna's things and put them on a cart.

"It was nice," Luna said casually. "A lot more homework than usual, because of O.W.L.s, I suppose."

"Yes, that makes sense," he said in response.

An awkward silence was then filled in and Luna felt highly uncomfortable. She hadn't seen him in so long, but there was nothing to say. Either that or she was too busy thinking of the letter he had sent over the summer. The letter that said that he knew she had been staying with Fred all summer long.

The pair made their way to the exit, but instead of heading on home, Xenophilius turned to his daughter.

"I'll take your things home for you," he said. "You can go see him if you want."

"Oh, well, all right," Luna said, a bit taken aback. "I don't have any way of getting there though."

Xenophilius put his hand into his pocket and dug around for a few moments before handing her a few sickles.

"Take the Knight Bus," he said before turning on the spot and disapparating along with all of her things.

His attitude was a bit cold and Luna clutched at her coat before reaching into a pocket and withdrawing her wand. Pointing her wand at a street and not doing any spells wasn't technically magic, so calling for the Knight Bus was fine. She did just that and a triple decker purple bus came charging into sight.

When Luna was asked where she was headed, she had to pause and think for a moment. Should she go home and spend some time with her father? Probably. Instead, she told him to take her to Weasleys Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley.

She arrived quickly and stood for several long moments outside of the deserted shop. It was late; the once bright blue sky was now turning into a deeper shade. The shop was closed, but she knew that he was upstairs in his flat.

Luna walked toward the door and gave a sharp knock. After waiting she knocked again and again. A good ten minutes had passed and she was becoming impatient. She was just about to knock again when she saw a figure making its way toward the door.

The figure turned out to be Fred who was looking a bit ticked off. He opened the door roughly and was probably about to yell at the idiot who was knocking on a clearly closed shop, then his eyes rested on Luna.

"Hey," Luna greeted softly.

Fred stared at her before blinking his brown eyes and staring again.

"You're here," he stated.

"Yes," Luna nodded.

"How did you get here?" he questioned.

"The Knight Bus," Luna shrugged.

"Oh," he said.

"Mmhm," she hummed.

They stood there in an awkwardness that rivaled the one that she had partaken in previously with her father. There was a beat of silence before Fred's face broke into a large grin and Luna returned it.

"Merlin, I've missed you," he said, taking her into his arms and inhaling her scent.

"I've missed you so much as well," Luna confessed as she wrapped her arms around his back.

Luna pulled back and her blue eyes studied his face hungrily, as if she would never get enough. She had missed everything about him. Face, voice, touch, everything. It always seemed that those were the first things that came to mind.

"So, the cottage," Luna started, a smile creeping on to her lips.

"In the morning," Fred said, grinning at her impatience.

"What?" Luna asked. "I have to wait?"

"You made me wait for the sketches, so I'll make you wait for the real thing," he teased.

Luna attempted to make a pouting face, but this was apparently more amusing than persuading.

"Are you staying the night?" Fred asked and Luna didn't miss the hand brushing her hip or the husky tone his voice had taken.

"Um, no," Luna said meekly in response. "I need to get home and I would appreciate it if you took me."

The blue scarf was adjusted once more, this time to block her red face rather than keep her warm.

"Right," Fred nodded, not seeming dejected in the least.

He took her hand and after giving it a small squeeze, turned on the spot.


	74. Snow

_067. Snow_

"Is the blindfold really necessary?" Luna asked as Fred guided here through crunchy, frost-covered grass.

"Of course," he replied in the usual easy manner.

The Christmas holidays had started only a few days ago and after a lot of avoiding, Fred finally caved. She was going to see the cottage for the first time since the summer, and she was a bit nervous. There was a good chance that Fred might have ruined the entire thing. Not ruined beyond repair, but ruined so that it would take a lot longer to fully rebuild it.

She trusted him though, and knew that no matter what, he had put time and effort into this project. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made her wear a blindfold.

They walked for about a minute more until stopping. Fred's hands tighten slightly on her shoulders out of nerves and Luna placed a hand over his. Even if he had painted the thing bright orange, she would still like it. Actually, bright orange wouldn't be so bad.

"Ready?" he asked carefully.

"Yep," Luna replied with a quick nod.

Fred untied the knot of the blindfold and slipped it off of her face. Her eyes were still squeezed shut though. Luna heard Fred laugh as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Just open your eyes," he said.

Slowly, Luna began to open one eye just a crack. Soon one eye was completely opened and the other was open not too long afterward.

Despite the frost and overall gray appearance of the landscape, the cottage looked absolutely perfect. He was still far from finished, but that didn't take away from the overall effect. The lake was covered with a thin layer of ice, but it was easy to see that he had cleaned it up. The water was visibly clearer and it wasn't so muddy around the edge anymore.

Her next focus was the plants around the cottage. The weeds were gone and instead were a row of small shrubs in front of the porch. He had planted trees that were growing quickly and she could even see some flowers covered by a protective charm against the cold.

Luna turned to Fred; her mouth had broken out into a wide smile. "It's amazing!"

"Happy you think so," he grinned. "Want to go inside?"

"Yes, please," Luna said, nodding anxiously.

Fred took Luna's hand and they walked around the lake and up to the cottage. Once they reached the new wooden door, Fred placed his hand on the doorknob and Luna quickly clasped her hand over his.

"What if it's not perfect?" she asked.

"Do you doubt me?" Fred asked, mocking offense.

"Of course not," Luna said, shaking her head. "It's just… I've had this image in my head for so long. I don't want to be disappointed."

Fred looked at Luna carefully before sighing and taking her face in his hands.

"It's not even close to being finished yet," he said. "So, if you absolutely hate it, then I'll just start over."

"But you worked so hard-," Luna started.

"Trust me, it's not a problem," Fred cut off. "Let's go."

Luna gave a nod before turning back toward the cottage door. Fred took this as an okay to open the door. As soon as it swung open Luna bolted inside and stood in the center of the entrance room.

It was perfect. Just like she had imagined. There wasn't any furniture or color yet, but it was already breathtaking.

It had been cleaned up and polished, and now looked like an actual house instead of just a rundown cottage in the middle of nowhere. The kitchen was separated by a half-wall and was furnished with perfect marble countertops. There was a staircase in the main room which had been changed into a spiral staircase. Luna dashed up the steps and scoped out the rooms up there.

Two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small sitting room to the side. None of them had anything in them, but they were ready to be decorated.

Turning around, Luna saw Fred leaning against a wall and smiling at her.

"You're good," Luna said, pointing a finger at him. "I mean really good. This is absolutely perfect."

"Well, I'm happy that you like it," he said, smiling and walking toward her.

He cupped her hip and brought her closer to him. His lips were just about to connect with hers when Luna glanced outside and saw pure, white snow falling from the sky.

"It's snowing!" she declared, walking toward the window and leaning against the sill.

"Yes, very exciting," Fred said dryly as he too leaned against the window sill.

"Everything just feels so perfect," she sighed. "The cottage, the snow, you. Just, everything."

"I get what you mean," he agreed.

The couple stood like that for a while, just leaning against the sill and watching the snow fall quietly to the ground. Luna placed her hand on the sill and it was soon accompanied by Fred's.

"I wish things would just stay like this," Luna confessed. "There are so many bad things happening around the world today. Death Eaters are everywhere, _danger _is everywhere. I wish we could just stay at this cottage and never leave."

"Yeah, but we can't do that," Fred said. "Things are awful right now, so we can't abandon everyone. No matter how tempting that offer sounded."

"I wasn't offering," Luna said. "I was thinking out loud."

"Sure you were, Lu," Fred laughed, gently nudging her shoulder with his own. "I know how much you want to spend forever with me."

Luna stuck her tongue out at him playfully and he gave a loud, typical Fred laugh. They both turned back to the window to see the snow starting to come down faster and in bigger clumps.

"It's really coming down," Luna noted.

"Yeah," Fred breathed. "There's a fireplace in the sitting room."

It was more like an invitation than a statement.

"Then I think we should go to the sitting room," Luna said eagerly.

Whether she was getting cold or just wanted to see the fireplace, Fred had no idea.


	75. New Year

_095. New Year_

"Is it time yet?" Luna asked impatiently.

Fred laughed at the eagerness in her voice before taking a look at his watch. He shook his head and Luna sighed, leaning her back against his chest.

It was December 31st and soon it would be January 1st. The New Year was coming and with the New Year came the close of the winter holidays. There were only a few days left before Luna would have to head back to Hogwarts, so naturally she was spending as much time as possible with Fred.

The rest of the time was spent with her father. After not seeing him for such a large amount of time, Luna really wanted to recreate their bond. They had spent all of Christmas day together talking about things that needed to be talked about. Things such as Death Eaters, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and other dangers that were lurking about.

The topics didn't end there though. Luna's future was also a prominent topic in the conversation. She expressed her interest in becoming a naturalist, and Xenophilius was excited about the idea. But when she mentioned Fred there was a small pause. Luna knew that her father wanted her to be happy, but she also knew that he would be a lot happier if things with Fred slowed down a bit.

Things were indeed moving very fast for Luna. In a couple of weeks she would be sixteen, and probably the only sixteen year-old in the world who already had a house. The future was something that was often brought up, but Luna had faith that everything would be fine. The current darkness in the world wouldn't last forever. It just couldn't.

"So, how many minutes left?" Luna asked.

"About five," Fred shrugged, tightening the arm he had around her waist.

As usual, they were in the cottage. It was a place of complete peace and solitude to them. The cottage just felt like a safe haven, completely cut off from the world around them.

The sitting room on the second floor was the best room in Luna's opinion. Over the break she had acquired an old couch and had put it in the room. The couch was the first piece of furniture to be put in the cottage.

Fred and Luna were sitting on said couch, facing the window and watching the snow fall silently. Waiting till midnight reminded her of waiting till two o'clock on the Astronomy Tower. It didn't feel as special, but it was very familiar.

"I really don't want to go back to school," Luna murmured.

"Yeah, and I don't want you to go," Fred agreed, kissing the top of her head.

"But I have to," Luna sighed, turning her head to face him.

"Well, I didn't finish school," he shrugged. "Why should you?"

"Because the profession I want requires seven years of education," Luna said. "And at least an Exceeds Expectations in Herbology."

"O.W.L. or N.E.W.T.?" Fred asked.

"Both," Luna said, stubbornly folding her arms across her chest.

Fred gave a laugh that was quickly cut off by Luna glaring at him.

"Don't worry about it," he said hastily, still trying to cover up his laugh. "You've got Longbottom to help you."

Luna gave an unconvinced nod before taking Fred's wrist in her hand and looking at his watch. Thirty seconds were left. Fred noticed the time as well and glanced at the window before looking at her. Luna turned around on his lap and placed a hand on the back of his neck.

At the same time, their eyes darted back to his watch to see that it was midnight, signaling the New Year.

"Happy New Year," Luna said.

"Same to you," Fred grinned before capturing her lips with his.

The kiss was slow, smooth, and deep, just like they always were. Luna felt a warm feeling begin in the pit of her stomach and she smiled against his lips. No matter how many times they kissed, she always got butterflies.

"I love you," Luna said when they broke apart.

"I love you too," Fred replied, smiling at her.

Fred leaned toward her again and she closed her eyes, readying herself for another kiss. He didn't kiss her though. Instead, he pressed his forehead to hers and placed a hand on her hip. Luna's eyes fluttered open and she perked an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head and slipped a hand under her shirt. Goosebumps instantly formed on her skin as his hand ran across the smooth skin of her stomach. His hand moved up slowly and around to her back.

"Fred," Luna said, her tone warning.

"I know," he said, bringing his lips to her neck. "Not yet. Just give me this though. Just this little thing."

It was hard to argue since he had already unclasped her bra. Luna squeezed her eyes shut as he slipped her shirt over her head and hooked his fingers around the straps of her bra.

There was a pause. A pause that would allow Luna to stop him if she wanted to. She bit her lip and felt Fred's hands stay completely still, not moving a single inch.

"Okay," Luna finally breathed, her eyes opening.

Luna automatically met Fred's eyes. He pressed his lips against hers again as he slipped the straps of her bra down her arms. He dropped the piece of clothing on the ground before taking his lips from hers. Luna pressed her lips together and watched as Fred looked at her exposed chest.

"Not much," Luna said, hoping it would break up the intensity of the moment.

"You're perfect," Fred commented, seeming to ignore her prior statement.

A reply couldn't even be said because Fred was cupping one of her breasts and pushing her gently against the couch.

That was the first time Luna had really understood how much experience Fred had in that certain department. She always knew that he was a good kisser, but Luna was a strong believer that everyone who wasn't slobbering on your chin was a good kisser. This was a completely different world compared to kissing.

As Fred did basically everything humanly possible to her breasts using his hands and mouth, Luna found herself melting into it all. She really hadn't appreciated how _good_ he was.

Soon, his mouth traveled back to her lips and his hands cupped her face. He pulled her back up to sit on the couch as he tilted her head back and dipped his tongue into her mouth. Luna placed a hand on his back and responded to the kiss.

Even though she had thought the same thing several times before, in that moment, she had never been so close to letting him have all of her.

Once Fred was done assaulting her mouth he gave her a look that most definitely meant that he wanted much, much more. He resisted though, and stood up, scooping her discarded shirt and bra in the process.

"Thanks for that," Fred said, his voice sounding oddly thick as Luna put her bra back in place and clasped it together.

"I feel like I should be thanking you," Luna admitted, slipping her shirt back over her head.

"That good, huh?" Fred asked.

"Yes," Luna confirmed, enjoying the surprised albeit pleased look on his face.

"Well, you should let me show you just how good I am," he said leaning toward her.

Luna laughed and shook her head. "Not yet."


	76. Ends

_003. Ends_

Once again, Luna and Fred had to say goodbye. It was the last day of the winter holidays and Luna would be back on the train to Hogwarts the next morning. Their time together had been so short and Luna was finding it hard to accustom to not seeing him every day.

They were currently in Luna's bedroom with the door open since her father was just downstairs. Luna was packing her trunk and Fred was sitting on her bed watching her move around the room. His gaze was something Luna had become accustomed to over the years, something she liked.

"Summer," Fred sighed. "That's six months away."

"I know," Luna nodded, haphazardly tossing some shirts into her trunk. "But it will be over soon and then we have all summer."

"Yeah, two months," Fred snorted, leaning back on her bed and peering into her trunk. "It's so unfair that I only get to see you for two months a year."

Luna stopped packing and thought about what he had just said. Just two months a year. That _was_ completely unfair. Before it had been the entire school year, but now it was just the summer and the two short weeks of winter holidays.

Sitting down on her bed next to Fred, Luna absentmindedly tried to fold a sweater she was clutching in her hands. Her folding skills left much to be desired though, and it ended up being even more of a clump than before.

"Well, I'll have the cottage to work on," Fred said, sensing Luna's change in mood. "You have your O.W.L.s to worry about as well. It's probably better that I'm not there to distract you."

There was a short pause before Luna burst out laughing. Fred gave a startled jump and looked at her worriedly. He placed a hand on her shoulder, but she just shrugged it off, her laughs getting more and more intense. Soon, she was doubled over and clutching her sides, small pools of tears forming in her eyes.

"I can't believe…" she began, still gasping for breath. "That you just- That you just expressed concern for my education! You! Fred Weasley! Concerned about my O.W.L. scores!"

Her uproarious laughter soon calmed down to giggles and hiccups. Luna hastily wiped at her eyes as she turned to Fred who was still gaping at her.

"Are you all right?" Fred asked, placing his hand on her shoulder again.

Luna gave a series of quick nods before she got to her feet and started to pack at a faster rate than before. Fred watched her carefully, but she seemed fine. Same Luna as always. It had been awhile since he had heard Luna laugh like that and he took a secret pride in knowing that he was the one to make her do it.

As soon as Luna was done packing her things, she pushed down on the trunk and struggled to close the clasps. After a few minutes of pacing up and down her bedroom trying to come up with conclusions to her cramped trunk, Fred flicked his wand at the clasps and it shut easily. Luna turned to him with her hands on her hips.

"I could have done that," she stated.

"I know," Fred shrugged.

"Then why did you do it?" she asked.

"So, that we wouldn't waste the last of our time together on your trunk," Fred said blatantly as he outstretched a hand to her.

Luna looked at his hand skeptically before taking it. She wasn't the least bit surprised when he pulled her on to the bed and she landed next to him on her worn mattress, the springs creaking slightly from their combined weight. Fred turned on his side and cupped one of her cheeks before pressing his lips against hers.

They stayed like that for a while. Lying on their sides and moving their mouths against each other's. Luna fisted a part of his shirt and pressed into the kiss even more. Soon, they parted and just looked at each other through barely open eyes.

"I really don't want to see the end of this," Fred confessed, brushing back a piece of blonde hair from her face.

"Don't want what to end?" Luna inquired.

"Just, being with you like this," he shrugged. "I know it's only six months, but it seems like a long time."

"It _is _a long time," Luna said. "You don't have to miss it though. We'll have letters and you always visit on Hogsmeade trips. I'll see you, you'll see me. It's not ending, it's just…"

She struggled to find the correct word or phrase to use. Fred noticed this and gave a low chuckle before pressing his lips to hers again.

"Put on hold?" he prompted, his breath running across her lips.

"Yeah," Luna breathed. "I always miss you."

"Same," he admitted. "Even if you're just using the toilet, I miss you."

Luna gave a small laugh, much more toned down than the previous laugh, and Fred captured it with another kiss.

When it came to the two of them there never seemed to be an end in sight. Ends weren't possible when it came to Fred and Luna, because they knew that there was no end to them.

Usually their easy kisses turned into ones much more fervent and passionate, but not this time. The slow and smooth movements of their lips against each other stayed just as innocent as before. The kisses were simple and easy.

"I should go," Fred said when he finally pried his lips from Luna's.

"What time is it?" Luna asked.

"I don't need to know what time it is to know that I should go home," Fred said, gesturing toward Luna's bedroom window.

Luna looked out of the window to see the inky black sky littered with stars.

"Oh," Luna said, sitting up. "When did it get so dark?"

"No idea," Fred said, also sitting up and looping an arm around Luna's stomach.

He gave the side of her neck a small, lingering kiss before standing up. Once more, he outstretched his hand to Luna and she took it. He pulled her off of the bed and they walked out of her room to the hallway.

"I was going to say goodbye to your dad, but…" Fred trailed off, pointing over the railing to the sitting room downstairs.

Luna peeked over the railing to see her father fast asleep on the couch.

"He does tend to do that," she said, a giggle in her voice.

"Well, then, I'll see you tomorrow at the platform," he said, giving her a quick kiss.

Without another word, he let go of her hand and disapparated. Luna sighed and walked back into her room before falling backward on her bed. As she hit the mattress, the clasps of her trunk popped open.


	77. Touch

_038. Touch_

The setting wasn't exactly the most ideal for a reunion. School was over and summer had arrived, but Luna was still at school and Fred was there as well. Not because of an unsuspecting visit, but because of a funeral. The funeral of Albus Dumbledore, to be exact.

Luna was helping Neville into his seat when she caught a shock of red hair from the corner of her eye. She saw Fred and George taking their seats with the other Weasleys and she wanted nothing more than to join them. But just going over there in the middle of a funeral, such a sad and desperate time, really didn't seem appropriate.

The ceremony went on without any problems, but Luna found herself zoning out. She couldn't focus on anything but the aching sadness and her undeniable want to touch Fred. To be touched by him was something that she craved so desperately in that moment. Just a touch of the hand or a hug was all it would take to make her feel content, nothing more. That wasn't asking for too much, was it?

As soon as the ceremony was over, Luna helped Neville out of his seat and they walked to his grandmother.

"Well, that wasn't very cheerful," Neville said gloomily.

"Agreed," Luna nodded, still looking around for Fred.

"Go find him," Neville said.

"What?" Luna asked, looking up at him.

"Go find Fred," Neville repeated. "I can make it to Gran just fine."

Luna gave him a skeptical glance, but he just motioned for her to move along. After a few more protests, Neville finally convinced her to leave him to go after Fred. She quickly made her way through students, teachers, and people she had never seen before.

The crowd was ridiculously thick, but she finally made her way to Fred. He was talking to George and Lee and an odd sense of familiarity swept over her. It was as if this wasn't a funeral at all. She was a first year student all over again just wanting to talk to Fred as he joked around with Lee and George on the school grounds.

Except there wasn't any joking this time. Lee spotted Luna first and instead of laughing or making some joke, he just gave her a small, sad smile before clamping a hand on Fred's shoulder. Fred looked at him questioningly and Lee pointed to Luna.

Fred turned around and their eyes met for several long seconds. He turned back to George and Lee, but they were already ushering him to go to her. They met halfway and instantly wrapped their arms around each other.

Luna just took in the feel of him, the familiar comforting smell. It was then that she allowed herself to finally cry.

"I didn't even know him that well," Luna said, pulling away from his chest and looking up at him. "It's just so awful!"

Fred looked down at her somberly. He stooped his head down and kissed the top of her head before pulling her even closer to him.

"I know," he mumbled into her hair. "I know."

Even in that desperately sad situation, Luna felt so safe with him. Everything about him just made her happier and much more comfortable.

The crowd of people were either heading to Hogsmeade to disapparate or heading to the Great Hall. Luna didn't feel like going to either one. Fred sensed her dilemma and he took her hand before guiding her into the castle.

"Oh, Fred, I really don't feel like going to the Great Hall," Luna protested as he pulled her through the entrance hall.

"We're not going there," Fred said, leading her up the main staircase.

After traveling through a few corridors and going up several flights of stairs, it dawned on Luna. She instantly stopped in the middle of a corridor and Fred turned around to face her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"We can't go up there, Fred," Luna stated.

"Why not?" he persisted.

"Because that's where he died," Luna said.

There was a long silence before Fred walked to the side of the corridor and slide down the stone wall. He fisted some of his hair in his hands before dropping them to his sides and giving out a long sigh.

"Dammit," he cursed. "Damn Death Eaters just have to ruin everything, don't they?"

"It's what they do best," Luna said quietly, taking a spot next to him on the floor.

The pair sat in silence. Complete, unnatural silence. For a castle that was usually so alive, it was downright bizarre to see it so isolated. Once again, Fred threaded their fingers together and Luna leaned her head on his shoulder. The warmth of his hand was so comforting and perfect she felt as if she could sit there forever.

"A war is going to start soon, isn't it?" Luna asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Fred confirmed.

"Are you going to fight?" Luna asked.

"I have to," he said.

She would have been disappointed in him if he wasn't going to fight.

"Are you?" he asked.

"Am I what?" Luna asked, looking up at him. "Am I going to fight?"

Fred nodded in confirmation and Luna thought about it. She wasn't exactly opposed to the idea, and dying had never really frightened her. It was just the fact that she could lose Fred that scared her.

"Of course," Luna said with a firm nod.

He didn't argue and Luna couldn't tell why. Was it because he wasn't worried or because he knew he would lose the argument? She didn't know.

"I'm thinking about spending the summer with my dad," Luna said. "We're not going on the expedition this year. It's not safe anymore."

"Good," Fred nodded.

"Your monosyllabic answers are getting a little annoying," Luna said, poking him playfully in the side.

Then she felt awful. Making a joke at such a serious and sad time was a bit cruel, wasn't it?

"Sorry," Fred apologized. "I'm just really happy to see you. To be able to touch you."

"Same here," Luna confessed.

The two looked at each other and shared a smile, both secretly terrified of what was to come.


	78. Independence

_094. Independence_

Things could have been a lot worse in the Wizarding World, and Luna was very much aware of this. Death Eaters could just go around killing everyone in sight, no matter what pleads would be brought their way. The Ministry was beginning to waver though and it seemed that the Death Eaters' reign had yet to come completely.

The summer had just begun and it was raining heavily outside. Xenophilius was out working on a new edition of the _Quibbler _while Luna stayed inside. She had just finished unpacking all of her things and was starting a new summer project. Just yesterday she had received a letter from Fred advising her not to leave the house unless absolutely necessary.

He also mentioned that he and George had to temporarily close the shop since "Death Eaters don't have a sense of humor". His letter had worried her more than anything else. She missed him desperately, of course, but at the same time she knew he was right. It wasn't exactly safe to be on her own, especially since she was just 16 and couldn't use magic outside of school yet.

Instead of moping about being alone, she tried to get excited about being independent. With her father so busy with his magazine (which was promoting support in Harry) and Fred off doing things for the Order, Luna found that she was alone most of the time. It wasn't unpleasant, or unfamiliar, just a little boring.

Her summer homework had been completed first and now she was in her room painting her walls. She wasn't the best artist, but she liked painting and drawing. Currently, she was painting her bedroom walls a light blue and thinking of a design to put on her ceiling.

She considered it great practice for when she could finally decorate the cottage. She knew because of a letter from Fred that he had finished all of the renovations, and she would just have to come in with all of the things to fill it. Even though Luna thought it would be important to pick out the furniture and everything together, she also enjoyed doing it by herself.

Creativity was her independence and she wanted to keep it that way.

Just as Luna started to apply a second coat of paint to her bedroom walls, there was a sharp knock on her bedroom window. Luna gave an involuntary jump, knocking over a can of paint in the process, before looking at her window.

In the pouring rain was a barn owl who kept insistently pecking on the glass. Luna rushed over to the window and unlatched it. She opened it up and the bird instantly swooped inside and on to Luna's bed.

Hastily, Luna closed the window as rain water began to soak her. The owl was sitting on her bed and ruffling its feathers, getting water everywhere in the process. Luna sat on her bed and untied the envelope from the owl's leg.

"You can stay here until it stops raining," Luna said.

The owl hooted appreciatively before flying to the stop of Luna's wardrobe, perching itself there comfortably.

Luna opened up the soggy envelope and found that the card inside was in perfect condition. It was some kind of spell that Luna couldn't exactly place. Luna looked at the fancy print on the front and noticed that it was an invitation.

She opened it and read through it quickly.

_Miss Fleur Isabelle Delacour  
and  
Mr. William Arthur Weasley  
invite  
Mr. Xenophilius and Miss Luna Lovegood  
to their marriage  
__Friday, the first of August  
one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven  
at four o'clock in the afternoon  
at The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, England  
with a reception to follow._

After several long moments of staring at the invitation, Luna was finally able to decipher the formal tone of it all. In a little more than a month Fred's older brother Bill would marry one of the Triwizard champions, Fleur Delacour. Luna took the invitation and walked out of her room, heading toward the kitchen. She placed the invitation on the kitchen table, so her father would see it when he got home.

She was just about to head back upstairs to continue her independent painting project when she noticed a small piece of parchment sticking out from under the invitation. Luna picked it up and noticed that it had stuck to the back of the invitation because of the rain.

After peeling it off the back, Luna smiled at the familiar scrawl and began to read the short note.

_Luna,_

_I do hope you realize that you're going to be my date for the wedding. I'll pick you up a few hours beforehand. Until then, I promise I'll visit as often as I can. I'll probably be around in a few days to take you to the cottage._

_Love,  
Fred_

The corners of her mouth twitched into a smile as she read and reread the short message. Luna headed back up to her bedroom and peeked out the window, relieved to see that the rain had stopped. She opened the window and the barn owl instantly flew outside. Luna propped Fred's note up against a picture frame on her bedside table.

She had three frames on it. One was a picture of her mother hugging her, both of them smiling happily at the camera. Another was a recent one of her and her father on an expedition. The last photo was of her and Fred. The picture had been taken last summer at Ginny's birthday get together.

Luna gave a sad smile at all three of the picture while a terrible feeling swarmed around in her stomach.

Her mother was gone forever, her father was always so busy, and she rarely saw Fred anymore.

Feeling incredibly lonely, Luna looked around her empty room and let out a long sigh. Being independent really wasn't what it was cracked up to be. It wasn't liberating or exciting, it was just sad.


	79. When?

_079. When?_

Fred honestly had no clue when he would be able to see Luna again. He had dropped by her house very briefly a few days ago, but they didn't leave the house. Not being able to see her was driving him practically insane every day. He managed though.

George had proposed the idea of starting an owl service to their customers since going to the shop wasn't the smartest idea. Doing that along with tedious things for the wedding and small stuff for the Order, he was busy most of the time. But that didn't stop him from thinking about her constantly.

It was mid-July and the Order was making plans about moving Harry from Privet Drive to the Burrow. The entire plan was ridiculously complicated, but Fred hoped that it was complicated enough to actually work. He had volunteered to be a part of the mission along with George.

As he sat in the old bedroom he shared with George, he tried to come up with the words to tell Luna in a letter about the mission. He couldn't put too much detail in it. Actually, he couldn't put any detail in it at all. Everyone had discouraged him against writing her a letter in the first place, but he wanted her to know. If something happened to him he wanted her to know that he loved her one last time.

There was a sharp knock on the door and Fred hastily stashed the parchment and quill under his pillow.

"Yeah?" he asked.

The door swung open and Ginny stood there with her arms folded across her chest. She walked into the room before shutting the door behind her and perching on the edge of George's bed.

"So, writing to Luna?" she asked.

"Er, no," Fred lied.

Ginny eyed him suspiciously before making a dart toward his pillow. Fred was too quick for her though and wrapped an arm around her stomach before positioning her back on George's bed. She landed on the bed with a loud thump and she looked quite frazzled.

"Nice try," Fred grinned, moving over to sit on the pillow.

"Yeah, well I've had practice, living with all of you for nearly sixteen years," she said.

A short silence filled the room and Fred could tell that Ginny was studying him closely. He tried to act like he didn't notice, but her brown eyes were practically piercing into him.

"When?" she asked.

"When, what?" Fred countered.

"When are you going to tell anyone besides Luna about that cottage?" Ginny finished.

Fred knew he should have been surprised that she knew about it, but he wasn't. Ginny was Luna's best friend and they had never said that the cottage was a secret.

"I've told George," Fred shrugged.

His twin was both supporting and amused by the idea. Supporting because he would have the flat over the shop to himself, and amused because he had basically "signed his life away to Loony Lovegood already". Fred had rolled his eyes at his brother's remarks, but he did get where he was coming from. It was very sudden, but it also felt right.

"Yeah, but what about Mum and Dad?" Ginny asked. "They've got enough to worry about thanks to Bill and Phlegm. Add this upcoming war into the mix, and it'll be a trip to St. Mungo's for both of them."

"It's not like we're going to get married within the year or anything," Fred protested. "Not until she's finished school, of course. That's another two years from now."

Two years, that sounded like a lifetime. It was still an incredibly young age to get married though and if the girl was anyone else he would have fiercely denied. But the girl was Luna and she was perfect and that was that.

"Okay," Ginny said, nodding her head slowly. "So, what are you going to tell her in the letter?"

"Dunno," Fred said, standing up and lifting up the pillow to grab his parchment and quill. "I can't exactly give away exact details."

"Yeah, that would be stupid," Ginny agreed.

Fred rolled his eyes at his sister's statement and sat back down on his bed. Ginny sat down next to him and he allowed her to read what he had so far.

"So, how are things with Potter?" Fred asked.

"Still none of your business," Ginny said pointedly.

"Oh, come on," Fred laughed. "I've just spilled my heart out to you about Luna. You can at least tell me if you two are still together or not."

"Not technically," Ginny said thoughtfully.

"And I thought my relationship was complicated," Fred sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Ginny turned her head to look at him, perked an eyebrow, and let out a loud laugh. She continued to laugh for a long time until she realized that Fred had no idea what she was laughing at.

"Oh, don't act like you don't know!" Ginny said, still giggling slightly. "The only thing complicated about your relationship is that you two haven't shagged yet."

"I do not want to have this conversation with my little sister," Fred groaned, placing his face in his hands.

"You two have been together officially for almost two years, and you've been snogging longer than that," Ginny continued, ignoring his last statement. "When are you two going to do it?"

"When it's the right moment," Fred said, wishing she would just stop talking.

"The right moment?" Ginny repeated incredulously. "Fred 'Broom Cupboard' Weasley, waiting for the _right moment_? Oh, stop, that's hilarious!"

The glare Fred sent Ginny's way was probably just as menacing as he wanted it to be, because she coughed into her hand and turned back to the parchment. After reading over it a few times and giving him suggestions, Ginny left the room.

Fred was partly relieved that she was gone and partly sad that he had basically made her run off. He read back over the letter, and satisfied, headed out of his room and downstairs to get Errol to send the letter. He just hoped that Errol would survive the fly over.


	80. Dark

_074. Dark_

Finally, after a week of waiting Fred arrived at the Lovegood residence. He apparated straight into the sitting room, giving Xenophilius quite a jolt of surprise. After apologizing for his sudden arrival, he bolted upstairs and into Luna's room.

Despite it being only 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Luna was fast asleep in her bed. Her golden hair was fanned out around her head and her blanket was pulled up to her chin. The room smelled slightly of new paint and Fred took note of the new light blue walls. He sat down on the edge of her bed and sighed, looking out the window.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but it felt as if it was always dark. Despite it being July and mid-afternoon, darkness always seemed to seep into the days. It could be the Death Eaters or just the hopelessness of the situation.

The mission for the Order would take place that night and Fred had managed to get a few minutes with Luna before he would have to leave. She was sleeping so peacefully and he would feel guilty if he woke her up for a five minute visit. He doubted anything would happen to him, but he could never be sure. The Death Eaters could have caught on to the fake trail. As soon as they left Privet Drive with Harry, they could be waiting for them.

Fred brushed back a piece of Luna's hair from her face and kissed her temple. He would visit her properly a few days after the mission.

Standing up, Fred heard a throat clear and he turned around to see Xenophilius Lovegood watching him. The awkwardness of a daughter's boyfriend talking to the father wasn't present. Fred straightened his back and looked at the older man.

It seemed that the circumstances were finally coming to terms with the usually eccentric man. He still wore bright clothes and mentioned his fantastic creatures and theories, but there was a certain somberness about him. He didn't look as dazed as usual.

"Leaving?" Xenophilius asked.

"Yeah, I shouldn't be here too long," Fred said. "I don't want to put you two in danger."

Xenophilius nodded slowly, his wild eyes never leaving Fred's.

"I know you'll take care of her," Xenophilius said. "I've seen the way you two look at each other. Just keep her safe."

"I always will," Fred instantly confirmed.

A long silence then followed and Fred took that as his cue to leave. He started to exit the room to go back to the sitting room to disapparate since the noise would probably wake Luna. That is until he heard a slight groan from behind him. Instantly, Fred turned around and saw that Luna was peeking through a mass of blankets, her blonde hair considerably rumpled.

She slowly sat up and looked at both of them, her big eyes blinking slowly. Letting out a yawn and stretching her arms, Luna placed her hands in her lap.

"Fred, Dad," she greeted.

"Good morning," Xenophilius said, his cheery tone once again present.

Luna smiled sleepily at her father before setting her eyes at Fred. Her expression went from happy to sleepy confusion and then to surprise in a matter of seconds. Quickly, Luna attempted to flatten down her hair and Fred just laughed, sitting next to her on the bed.

"I'll give you two a minute to say goodbye," Xenophilius said, walking away but still keeping the door wide open.

"Goodbye?" Luna questioned, now trying to finger-comb her hair.

Fred nodded before grasping her hands. "Stop with the flattening of the hair. I like it messy."

Luna gave him a small smile as she leaned forward slightly and gave him a light kiss. The kiss was only intended to last a few seconds, but Fred felt an overwhelming hunger for her. When was the last time they had kissed? It felt like decades ago.

He tangled his hands in her already tangled hair and slipped his tongue into her mouth, groaning at how good it felt to touch her again. Shifting his hands to her hips, he pressed her down on to the mattress and quickened his movements.

It wasn't until Luna lightly pushed against his chest did he realize what a terrible moment it was to do this.

He had far exceeded the time limit the Order had given him, her father was right down the hall, and the door was open. Fred reluctantly pulled away and sat back up.

"Sorry," Fred apologized, scratching the back of his neck.

"It's fine," Luna said, still a little breathless. "I kind of really wanted you to do that."

Fred smirked at her and she gave a small laugh at his playful glance. He wanted nothing more than to snog her senseless in that moment, but his better judgment got the best of him.

"So, why are you saying goodbye?" she asked.

"I have a mission tonight for the Order," he revealed. "I've only got a few minutes to say goodbye. A few minutes that I've gone past a bit."

He glanced at his watch and noticed that he was seven minutes late.

"Oh, well then you should get going," Luna said.

"Do you want me to go?" he asked.

"Of course not," Luna said. "I just don't want you to be late."

"Too late for that," Fred said, once again looking at his watch. "I'll send you a letter or visit as soon as I can."

Standing up, Fred pressed a final kiss to Luna's lips, desperately fighting off the urge to deepen it. She slipped out of her bed and he tried not to stare too long at her incredibly short pajama shorts. They walked out of her room and down the stairs, back to the sitting room.

Once there, Fred wound his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Be safe," Luna murmured against his chest.

"I will," Fred assured.

He stepped back from her and gave her one last smile before turning on the spot and disappearing with a sharp crack.


	81. Sunset

_032. Sunset_

It was safe to say that staying up all night until roughly three o'clock in the morning wasn't exactly the healthiest thing to do. Luna didn't care though, she was desperately anxious. It was now technically the day before Bill and Fleur's wedding and Fred had promised to visit her soon.

After the mission a few nights prior he had sent her a letter entailing that he would visit her some time that day. He didn't go into detail about what had happened the night of mission, but from his short, unexpressive sentences, she didn't expect a flawless report.

The letter had just said that he would tell her in person and that he would be there on that day early in the morning. Luna had reread the letter several times attempting to look for more descriptive hints, but she had come up short.

Her bedroom was particularly stuffy that early morning and Luna had propped open one of her windows. She was sitting on a chair in front of the window, enjoying the cool breeze and dozing in and out of consciousness, when a small pop woke her up completely. She turned around and saw Fred standing in the middle of the room with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," he greeted, walking over to her.

"Hello," she greeted in turn, giving him a small smile.

Fred took her hands in his and made her stand up. He sat down on her chair and then pulled her on to his lap. Luna rested her head against his chest and he wrapped an arm firmly around her middle.

"So, what happened?" she asked, trying to fight the sleep that was swiftly overtaking her. "You don't have to be specific."

"Mad-Eye's dead and George lost one of his ears," Fred stated blankly. "Other than that everything's fine."

Luna felt her heart sink desperately down into her chest. Despite the creepy demeanor and not so pleasant personality, Luna had actually liked Professor Moody. He had helped save them back in her fourth year at the Department of Mysteries and at the Astronomy Tower only last month. She hadn't known him that well, but he was a great fighter and loyal beyond belief. It was the first real hit she had received from the war. Someone she knew actually died.

If someone as strong as Mad-Eye could die, what was keeping her alive?

The next bit of news wasn't as devastating as the first, but it was still awful. She didn't know George that well either, but she knew him more than Mad-Eye. Her feelings about him losing his ear were mixed. It was awful, sure, but not as awful as losing his life. It would just be strange to see someone who looked so much like Fred without an ear.

But, just like he had said, other than that everything was fine.

"Oh," Luna said finally. "I… I don't really know what to say."

"Yeah, I wouldn't either," he agreed. "Are you tired?"

As soon as he said those words, a huge yawn overtook her and she tried her best to stifle it. Fred gave a small shake of his head before picking her up and placing her in her bed. She expected him to leave, but instead he kicked off his shoes and pulled his shirt over his head before joining her.

"You don't have to stay," Luna said, sleepiness slowly possessing her.

"I think I have too," he said. "I'm dead tired, if I tried to apparate I'd probably end up somewhere in China."

Luna gave a small laugh before snuggling into his side and falling fast asleep.

It felt like seconds when she woke up and saw that a pinkish glow was running across her room. Slowly, Luna sat up and looked around at her empty room. She thought at first that he obviously hadn't stayed until she looked at her floor and saw that his shoes were still there. Luna slipped out of her bed and made her way into the hallway.

She walked downstairs, into the sitting room, and saw something that she wasn't so sure about. Fred was talking to her father. Xenophilius was sitting in an armchair while Fred sat on the couch opposite of him. Her father was listening intently and Fred looked like he was desperately explaining something. Luna watched quietly from a distance before walking into the room and making her presence known.

Both Fred and her father looked up and Luna smiled at both of them. She took note that their conversation had stopped as soon she had walked into the room. Sitting down on a cushion next to Fred, she leaned over and looked at his watch.

"Did I actually sleep through the entire day?" Luna asked, looking over her shoulder and out a window to see that the sun was setting.

"Well, you won't be tired for the wedding tomorrow," Fred said, taking her hand in his.

Fred pressed his thumb against the stone of the promise ring and gave her a small smile. Luna looked at Fred and then her father who was watching them both carefully.

"You two should watch the sunset," Xenophilius advised. "The last sunset of the month always brings good luck to people."

"It does?" Fred asked.

"Crumple-Horned Snorkack belief," Luna shrugged, as she tightened her hand around his and stood up. "I can't believe I haven't told you that."

"You probably have," Fred said as Luna dragged him toward the front door. "You tell me so many things I find it hard to keep up sometimes."

Luna let out a light laugh as they went outside and sat down on the small front porch. The sun was beginning to lower under the horizon and Fred wrapped an arm around Luna, holding her close to him.

"So, what did you do all day with my dad?" Luna asked.

"Talked," Fred shrugged. "He's really brilliant."

"I know," Luna said, grinning proudly. "What did you talk about?"

"You," Fred began to list off. "The Death Eaters, You-Know-Who, this war that is bound to happen, and… our future."

"The future of you and my father?" Luna asked, looking at him with a perked eyebrow.

"No," Fred laughed. "_Our _future, Lu. After we win this fight, and you bet we're going to win, after you finish school, it's just going to be you and me. I told him about the cottage, about wanting to marry you."

This information was all a little too much to take in. She knew that it was going to happen. In a way she had always known, in the back on her mind that they would be together, but with it put in front of her so obviously, well, it was a bit overwhelming.

"Are you proposing?" Luna asked.

"Not yet," he said. "Trust me; you'll know when I am."

"So, what did he say about everything?" Luna asked, bringing the subject back to her father.

"He thinks we're too young, but he said that he's fine with it," Fred informed. "Because if you've already found the love of your life, why wait?"

Luna's eyes moved back toward the horizon to the see that the sun was now entirely gone and the last remnants of daylight were slowly dispersing.

"Are you going to stay the night again?" Luna asked.

"I can't, I have to help with things for the wedding in the morning," Fred said. "I'll pick you up tomorrow though, so I'll see you soon."

"All right," Luna nodded.

Fred kissed the top of her head as she leaned even more into him, feeling more content than she had in a long time.


	82. Purple

_016. Purple_

The warm August afternoon had just begun and Luna was busy getting ready for the wedding. Her father was going to arrive at a later time than her since Fred was picking her up early. Luna hadn't seen Ginny in a while so she wanted to catch up with her.

Luna was standing in the bathroom peering into an ancient, dusty mirror as she tried to tweeze her eyebrows. For some reason it felt oddly appropriate to dress up like she did for the Yule Ball. She hadn't had the chance to spend the Yule Ball like she wanted to, so now she was making up for it.

Except this time she didn't have a small, elite group of third year Gryffindor girls who had all of the materials and expertise to make Luna look fantastic. All Luna was armed with now was a basket of old beauty products of her mother's and a few things Ginny had gotten her for her 16th birthday.

She had thrown away her mother's old makeup, but had kept things like tweezers and hair rollers. Luna had first felt ridiculous in the hair rollers, but soon became accustomed to them. The tweezers were something that she was having trouble mastering though. After a few more painful plucks, Luna squinted at her reflection and nodded in semi-approval. If her eyebrows were that bad she would get Ginny to fix them.

After attempting to apply some make-up (and failing slight, once again she would need Ginny's help), Luna exited the bathroom and went back to her bed room. She had bought the bright yellow dress at a Hogsmeade visit and hadn't worn it once. Luna slipped it on along with a pair of yellow shoes that had a very short heel. Without a way to cast a Balancing Charm, Luna didn't want to chance anything.

Next, Luna put a couple of beaded bracelets on her wrist and fished around her jewelry box for a few more things to wear. She settled on her radish earrings and hare necklace along with her promise ring.

As soon as she placed the ring on her finger there was a sharp knock on the front door.

"Dad, can you get that?" Luna called downstairs as she hastily stashed her wand in an inside pocket and rushed back to the bathroom.

"All right," her father responded airily.

Luna entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her as she tugged the rollers out of her hair. Her hair spilled out in tight spiral curls and Luna ran a brush through them to separate them slightly. She heard someone knock on the front door again. Apparently her father was taking his time in answering the door.

She exited the bathroom and walked down the stairs quickly, tucking a sunflower behind her ear as she went. Xenophilius was lounging on the couch in the sitting room with his pajamas still on. Luna kissed the top of his head as she walked by him.

"I'm off," she announced.

"Yes, I'll see you there," Xenophilius replied. "Oh, and Luna?"

"Yes?" Luna inquired as placed her hand on the doorknob as someone knocked again.

"You look lovely," he said, smiling at her.

Luna smiled in thanks before opening the door, stepping on to the porch, and closing the door behind her.

"Wow," was the first word that came out of Fred's mouth.

He took a step back and looked at her appreciatively, causing Luna to slap him lightly on the arm.

"You look gorgeous," he commented, his eyes still roaming her body.

"Thank you," Luna said. "You look nice as well."

And he did. His red hair was short and neat-looking, just how she liked it. He was wearing an expensive-looking black suit and a yellow tie. Luna smiled at the tie and reached up, straightening it slightly.

"Nice tie," she noted.

"Nice dress," he said in turn.

Luna was about to respond when he took a hold of her hips and placed his mouth soundly to hers. She wound her arms around his neck and stepped closer to him. It hadn't been long since they had last seen each other, but it felt like lifetimes. Eventually they parted and both grinned widely.

"Ready to go?" Fred asked.

"Mmhm," Luna hummed in response.

Fred took her hand in his and turned on the spot. After a very uncomfortable sucking sensation they were in front of the Burrow. Fred kept holding on to Luna's hand as they walked to the front door and opened it. As soon as they walked through the door, chaos hit them in the face.

Purple wedding decorations were everywhere, littering the living room and peeking out of the kitchen. As Fred and Luna trudged through the endless mass of lace and pastels, it seemed that more just kept appearing. After some time, they reached the staircase.

"Ginny's up there," Fred said. "I have to head outside to help with the tent."

"All right," Luna said with a nod.

Fred headed toward the side door and Luna began to head upstairs. It didn't take too long to get to Ginny's room and once there she knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Ginny called from the other side.

Luna swung the door open and stepped in the small room, closing the door behind her. Inside Ginny was sitting on her bed brushing her hair and a young girl with blonde hair was trying on a gold dress. The girl looked to be about 11 or 12 years-old and she was admiring her reflection in a full-length mirror. Luna instantly surmised that she was Fleur's younger sister, Gabrielle, and the other bridesmaid in the wedding.

"Oh, Luna," Ginny sighed in relief, patting a spot on the bed next to her.

"I thought Hermione was supposed to be staying with you," Luna said, sitting next to Ginny.

"She's with Harry and Ron in Ron's room," Ginny said as she put down her hairbrush and grabbed a dress bag that was hanging on her wardrobe.

As Ginny began to change into her bridesmaid dress, Luna felt that someone was staring at her. Slowly, Luna turned her head to see that Gabrielle was giving her a rather peculiar look.

"Um, hello," Luna said as she gave the younger girl a small wave.

"Don't bother," Ginny said, zipping up the back of her dress. "She doesn't speak much English."

"Okay," Luna said. "So, be honest. How bad does my make-up look?"

Ginny turned to look at Luna, scrunching up her face slightly. She opened up a small bag that was on her bed and took out a pair of slanted tweezers. Luna groaned at the sight of them.

"You just missed a few hairs," Ginny chided. "Other than that you look great."

It didn't take long for Ginny to finish Luna's eyebrows and when she was done Luna couldn't even tell the difference. The two girls talked for a bit more as Ginny finished getting ready. It was a little strange to be talking with someone else in the room and little facial expressions that Gabrielle made were starting to make Luna think that she knew more English than Ginny thought.

"So, how are things with you and Harry?" Luna asked.

Instantly, Gabrielle turned her head to the two of them, an interested look on her face.

"I kissed him on his birthday and Ron interrupted," Ginny sighed. "We haven't exactly talked much since."

"Harry's birthday was just yesterday," Luna pointed out.

"Yeah, but it felt like it was a long time ago," Ginny said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I just miss him. Hopefully when this war is over things will go back to normal."

"Well, you've got school," Luna said.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione aren't coming back to school this year," Ginny informed. "They're going to do something that Dumbledore left for them."

"I'm guessing they can't say what it is," Luna said.

"Not even a hint," Ginny confirmed.

Ginny finished the last touches of her appearance and Luna tried to think of another topic to bring up. It was obvious that Ginny didn't want to think about Harry leaving. The door made an opening and closing sound and Luna turned to see that Gabrielle had exited the room. Luna looked out of Ginny's bedroom window to see that guests were beginning to arrive.

"I guess we should head down," Luna said, standing up.

"Yeah, time to go drown in a sea of purple lace," Ginny joked.

The two girls laughed as they headed out of Ginny's room and downstairs. Once they had descended all of the steps they both had to make sure they were in the right house. All of the decorations were now either hung up properly inside or put to good use outside.

"That didn't take long," Luna said as they made their way outside and to the wedding tent.

"Yeah, probably because Mum was making them hurry up," Ginny said.

They were almost to the tent when Ginny let out a groan. She tapped Luna's shoulder and pointed to an old woman who was complaining loudly about something.

"That's my Aunt Muriel," Ginny informed. "As soon as she finds out you're Fred's girlfriend she's going to insult you. Don't take it personally."

"Oh, I won't," Luna shrugged, insults weren't exactly new to her.

It seemed that as soon as she said this, Aunt Muriel locked-on to the two girls and made her way over to them instantly.

"Brace yourself," Ginny warned.

Luna gave a small nod as Muriel stopped in front of them. She looked over Ginny first, and didn't seem to have any complaints until she took a closer look at her dress.

"That dress is far too low cut, Ginevra," Aunt Muriel said in a gravelly voice.

"It's nice to see you too, Aunt Muriel," Ginny said through gritted teeth.

"Hmph," Muriel grunted in response before turning to Luna. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Luna Lovegood," Ginny said.

At the mention of Lovegood it seemed that Muriel's natural sneer only increased in menace. She looked disdainfully at Luna before looking her over as well.

"She's Fred's girlfriend," Ginny added quickly.

Luna gaped at Ginny in disbelief. Ginny shrugged and mouthed an "I'm sorry" at her.

"A little young, isn't she?" Muriel asked as if Luna wasn't even there.

"I'm sixteen," Luna said, but it seemed that Aunt Muriel hadn't heard her.

"A vacant expression and wearing bright yellow to a wedding," Muriel noted. "Nice eyebrows though."

Aunt Muriel was gone right after that as she headed to a small group of red-haired cousins, probably to insult them as well. Luna turned back to Ginny.

"Is wearing yellow really that bad?" she asked. "I thought it would be happy."

"You look fine," Ginny said as they headed back to the tent. "I told you, she's rude to everyone."

They continued on their way and after being stopped a few more times by random relatives, they were inside of the tent. It was a stunning vision of gold and purple. Ginny didn't spend any time looking at the decorations, but Luna spent a long time looking over each and every little thing.

"It's lovely," she said once she was satisfied that she had seen everything.

"It's nice," Ginny shrugged. "Oh, there's Fred and George."

Luna looked to where Ginny was pointing and saw that Fred was showing some Veela cousins to their seats. The cousins looked at him appreciatively, but Fred just gave them a friendly grin before heading to another group of family or friends.

George had just shown a group of elderly women to their seats and Luna approached him before he could go to the next group.

"Fred's over there," George said as Luna approached him.

"I know," Luna nodded. "I need help finding my seat though. Think you can help me?"

"Yeah, sure," George said uncertainly.

Luna gave a quick nod as she looped arms with George and they walked to the groom's side. She cast a small look at the side of his head and felt considerably unsettled by the hole in the side of it.

"Sorry about that," she said.

He already knew what she was talking about and he just gave a shrug.

"Yeah, it's no big deal," he said. "There are worse things to lose."

"You're right," Luna nodded. "So, is Angelina coming later, or…?"

"Uh, she's not coming," George informed. "We're kind of taking a break."

"People do that?" Luna asked.

"Sometimes," George shrugged as he stopped in front of the second row from the front. "Not you and Fred though since you've been practically joined at the hip since your first year."

"We've taken breaks before," Luna said.

George gave her a skeptical look before gesturing toward the third seat in the row. "That's yours, right next to Fred's."

"All right," Luna nodded. "Um, thank you."

"Sure," George said before walking off.

Luna sat down in her seat and watched as the seats started to fill up. After a few minutes she felt someone tap on her shoulder and she turned around. Her father, also dressed in bright yellow, was smiling broadly at her.

"My seat is more toward the back, but it's good to see you," he said cheerily.

"It's only been a couple of hours, Dad," Luna said, smiling back at him.

"Yes, I know," he said. "Well, the ceremony is about to start, I'll see you afterward."

Before another word could be spoken, Xenophilius was making his way to the back of the tent and sitting down next to a rather uneasy-looking witch. Luna turned back to the front and gave out a sigh. She was hoping to have someone to talk to before the ceremony started.

She continued to look around at the decorations. Gold and purple, those two colors seemed to go nicely together. Maybe she could incorporate them into the cottage somehow. She hadn't seen the cottage all summer thanks to not being able to see Fred. He had been so busy and it never felt safe anymore. Well, it felt safe now, almost normal, but that was because of the cheery situation. Tomorrow it would be back to sleeping all day.

As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Fred made his way up the aisle and sat in the seat next to her. He intertwined their fingers together and smiled at her.

"So, a big wedding, thoughts?" he asked.

"Not this big, but I like the decorations," Luna admitted.

"Really? I was thinking more along the lines of in the backyard with only a select few relatives," he said. "Oh, and everyone could wear whatever they wanted."

Luna shook her head and Fred's grin dropped slightly.

"And here I was thinking I was going to marry a low-maintenance girl," he said.

"I am low-maintenance," Luna argued. "I just like to dress up on occasion. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Fred shrugged.

She was just about to say something else when George took a seat next to Fred. Luna didn't know exactly how much George knew about their relationship.

"You two planning your wedding?" he asked.

Apparently he knew a lot. She should have known, Fred told George everything.

"Maybe," Fred said.

George gave a laugh and rolled his eyes. The conversation went on for a few more minutes until music began to play and the ceremony began. The ceremony didn't last long, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Luna just kept thinking about her future throughout the entire thing. Did she want that much lace on her dress? Did she want it to be on this big of a scale? What color were the bridesmaids going to wear? Who were going to be the bridesmaids? Well, Ginny and Hermione of course and probably in blue dresses.

Luna gave a small gasp before quickly covering her mouth with her hand. It seemed that Fred was the only one who had noticed and he perked an eyebrow at her inquisitively. She shook her head and he shrugged before turning back to the ceremony. Luna couldn't believe it. She was practically already planning out her wedding in her head and she was just sixteen.

When the ceremony was over and the reception began, Luna's mind kept going back to what she had thought. Was she really ready to make that big step with Fred? A promise ring was one thing, but an engagement ring was something else entirely.

Luna's thoughts were broken when Fred outstretched a hand to her.

"Dance with me?" he invited.

"Of course," she said, smiling and taking his hand.

The song was of a medium pace, but wasn't too hard to keep up with. Everyone was spinning gracefully on the dance floor and Luna wondered if that was how they looked as well.

"So, are you enjoying yourself?" Fred asked as he spun her around.

"Yes," Luna confirmed. "It's so nice to be out of the house."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Fred nodded. "How about I take you to the cottage tomorrow?"

"That would be wonderful," Luna sighed. "Do you think it's safe though?"

"I'll be there, so don't worry," Fred said. "And I might have already kind of finished it."

"As in building and…" Luna started, but trailed off as he shook his head. "You didn't."

"I did," he said, spinning her around once again.

The music changed to a slower song and Luna wrapped her arms around his neck as they began to sway. What he was saying could either be very good or very bad. He either decorated the cottage with his own ideas in mind (very bad) or had decorated using Luna's sketches and color swatches in mind (very good).

"Did you use my color swatches?" she asked.

"Yes, I did everything you wanted along with Ginny's input, so it should be all right," he said.

Luna glanced around the tent and saw Ginny across the room talking with her brother, Charlie. She caught Luna's eye and gave her a smile and a thumbs up. Luna returned the smile before turning back to Fred.

"Are you okay?" Fred asked. "I know you wanted to do it yourself, but I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"It is a nice surprise," Luna sighed. "It's just…"

She couldn't quite put her finger on what she was feeling. Happiness was a prominent emotion she was feeling, she hadn't been looking forward to moving furniture and painting for hours. There was another emotion there though, one she just couldn't figure out.

"Do you want to go somewhere more private and talk about what's been on your mind?" he asked.

Luna met his eyes and saw that he was looking at her with obvious concern. She nodded and he took her hand before leading her outside of the tent. They walked a considerable distance from the tent before sitting down on the grass.

"So, what's wrong?" he asked, placing a hand on her knee.

"I feel like we've been moving so slowly and now everything is so fast," she sighed. "Today I was thinking of our wedding, Fred. Not Bill and Fleur's, _our _wedding."

"Yeah, well so was I," he shrugged. "What's so weird about that?"

"Well, with that and the cottage finished and the thought of getting engaged, it just…" she trailed off.

"Feels like too much?" he prompted.

"No," Luna said quickly.

She bit her lip and tried to think of what she was meaning. Even she wasn't completely sure of what she was saying. Things were moving quickly, but she wanted more and it was so overwhelming. All she could think of was the impracticality of thinking about marriage in the middle of the war, but then arguing with herself about it.

"No to what?" Fred asked after she was quiet for a while.

"It's not too much," she said, shaking her head as she still tried to find the right words.

If it wasn't too much, then what was it? What was wrong? What was she trying to say?

Her gaze went up to the tent a ways away and she looked long and hard at the purple decorations. Why did she feel like she wanted to get married? But, why did it feel so overwhelming?

Luna turned back to Fred and in a second of looking at his anxious face she understood. It wasn't too much, it was not enough.

She had never had such a strong feeling of wanting more before. She wanted to marry him, she wanted to live in the cottage together, she wanted to…

"I'm in love with you," she started, excited butterflies starting to fly around her stomach.

"Good, because I'm in love with you too," he said.

Luna pressed her lips together and gave him a meaningful look. It took him a few moments before realization swept over his face.

"Oh. _Oh_," he said.

"Uh-huh," she said, nodding her head. "I'm ready."

"Really?" he asked. "Are you sure? Is it too soon?"

"Fred, I feel like we've been dragging this out for a very long time," Luna said. "Unless you're not ready or-."

She was effectively cut off by Fred taking the sides of her face in his hands and kissing her hungrily. Her back was pressed against the soft grass as he continued to kiss her with fervor. She ran a hand through his hair and pressed a hand against his cheek as she tried to pry his lips from hers.

"Fred, do you really think this is the place?" she asked quickly once she finally succeeded in parting him from her.

"Right, good point," he said, standing up and pulling her up along with him. "I'll apparate us to the flat above the shop."

"Maybe we should tell people we're leaving," Luna said. "So they won't assume that Death Eaters have taken us or something."

Fred opened his mouth in protest, but Luna shook her head signaling that it was nonnegotiable.

"This will take five minutes," she said. "Then you have me for the rest of the night."

This seemed to heighten his happiness considerably as they walked back toward the unusually quiet tent. Once they headed inside the tent it was easy to see that something was wrong. The tent was dark and everyone was standing around a silver light.

"What's going on?" Luna whispered to Fred.

"Dunno," he said.

He gripped Luna's hand tightly in his as they made their way through the crowd. They reached the front, right next to George and Lee. Fred was about to ask them what was happening when the source of the silver light, a lynx-shaped Patronus, started to talk.

"_The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming._"


	83. Lovers

_023. Lovers_

In the past month things had gone from bad to worse very quickly. That August had been the worst month of the summer, the past year even. Now that the Ministry was being taken over by Voldemort and Death Eaters were at every corner it was impossible to leave the house. Luna had only left once and that was to go to Diagon Alley for school supplies. That was one experience that she did not want to remember.

Luna was a pureblood though, so the Death Eaters had little reason to torment her. She just worried that they would find a reason soon enough. Ever since the wedding she hadn't heard anything from Fred. As soon as Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus had shown up warning them, her father had grabbed her and disapparated them back to their house.

It was now August 31st, the day before she left for Hogwarts. In all honesty she didn't want to go back. Now with Snape as the headmaster and Death Eaters in teaching posts, the thought of going to school didn't seem very appealing. She needed to go though. Neville and Ginny were going to be there and she didn't want to abandon them or the other students.

All of her packing was finished and it was night already. Her father had gone out to work on _The_ _Quibbler_, he would be staying all night and had told Luna that he had arranged a way for her to get to King's Cross in the morning. She trusted her father and despite it only being 9 o'clock, Luna was getting ready to go to bed.

After changing into an oversized long-sleeved shirt, Luna slipped under the blankets on her bed and tried to get some sleep. This worked for about five minutes because she was awoken by a small popping noise coming from downstairs. Luna's eyes instantly flew open and she sat up in her bed. A low creaking noise could be heard and cautiously Luna got out of her bed.

She grabbed her wand from her bedside table and put on her slippers before heading out of her room and down the stairs. Once in the sitting room she looked around and saw a dark figure standing by the couch. The figure was about to sit down on the couch when Luna turned on a lamp and pointed her wand at him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Instead of a Death Eater or a Snatcher, it was a tall, red-headed someone. Relief instantly flowed through her as Luna walked quickly toward him and flung her arms around him.

"You scared me!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're one to talk," Fred laughed, also wrapping his arms around her.

The couple stayed standing still in the sitting room with their arms around each other. Luna honestly couldn't believe that he was really there. After a month of not being able to see or talk to him, he was in her sitting room holding her in his arms.

"How are you here?" Luna asked after several long moments of silence.

"I apparated," Fred joked.

"Be serious," Luna said.

"Your dad was able to get in contact with me," he shrugged. "I'm your transportation for getting you to King's Cross tomorrow. I was just going to sleep on the couch and greet you in the morning."

"Oh," Luna said simply.

Well, that did explain things. She slowly uncoiled herself from his arms and looked up at him. He hadn't changed at all since the wedding, his hair was a little messier, but that was all. She smiled and placed her hands on his shoulders, stood on the tips of her toes, and kissed him.

Before he could even begin to deepen it, Luna parted from him and began to walk toward the kitchen.

"Do you want anything to eat?" she asked.

"No," Fred declined as he followed her into the small room.

Luna opened a few cabinets in search of something to eat when she realized that they never had anything to eat. Trips to the market weren't exactly the easiest things to accomplish anymore.

"Well, I guess I'll have to wait for the train tomorrow," she sighed, turning back to face him.

The two looked at each other, both uncertain of what to say. There were so many questions that needed asking, but neither one felt like talking. After not being in contact for so long it was a little difficult to believe that the other was actually there.

"So, the wedding," Fred started. "What you said about being ready and everything… um, do you want to talk about it?"

Luna almost smiled at his nervous state. It was obvious that talking about it was the last thing Fred wanted to do. It was the last thing that Luna wanted to do too.

"Can you take me to the cottage?" she asked suddenly. "Unless it isn't safe to apparate more than once or…"

"It should be all right," Fred said. "It isn't registered as a house, so it will be as if we're just going to an empty field."

"Okay, so I'll get my trunk and everything," Luna said as she exited the kitchen and headed toward the stairs in the sitting room.

"Why?" Fred asked. "We won't be there long if you just want to see it."

"I think we should stay the night actually," Luna said.

Realization quickly swept across Fred's face as he followed her upstairs. Luna was in her room, getting all of her possessions together and Fred leaned against the doorframe, watching her. Her long, golden curls falling to her waist, big blue eyes scanning the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. But aside from appearances, he just thought about her.

His Luna. She was absolutely impossible and stubborn and beautiful and incredible. It was hard to believe at times that she was actually his. That he could actually tell people that she was his girlfriend.

"Ready?" he asked.

Luna nodded and Fred grabbed Luna's trunk in one hand and outstretched the other to her. She grasped it tightly and gave him a nod before he turned on the spot.

They arrived in front of the cottage and Luna looked at the finished product outside. It was beautiful and serene, just like she thought it would always be. A few more trees had been planted along with some rose bushes surrounding the front of the house.

"So far, so good," Luna said as she walked on to the wooden porch, taking note of the tables and chairs that had been added.

"Good to know," Fred said, walking ahead of her and pointing his wand at the doorknob to unlock it.

They walked into the main room and instantly Luna's eyes took in the place appreciatively. The little kitchen to the side now had all of the cooking necessities and a table and chairs. It looked just like the sketch she had made and she was happy to see that her color swatches had been put to good use.

He had even added a small bathroom since only one upstairs didn't seem the most convenient. The main room was very cozy with empty bookcases (she would remedy that later) and a desk to work. There were cushy chairs and couches that vaguely reminded her of the Gryffindor common room.

After looking around long enough for her to be satisfied, Luna headed up the spiral staircase to the second floor. If the first floor was a cozy Gryffindor common room, then upstairs was an open and airy Ravenclaw common room. The sitting room to the side had a floor to ceiling window that opened up the room perfectly. The fire place had been widened and was now framed in marble.

Briefly Luna checked the bathroom and saw that is was much bigger than the one downstairs with a shower, claw footed bathtub, and two sinks. The second bedroom didn't have anything in it and Luna tried to figure out if it was meant for a guest bedroom or a… child's bedroom. The latter being something she didn't even want to think about.

Finally, Luna opened the door to the master bedroom. As soon as she walked into the room she heard a clunk behind her and saw that Fred had placed her trunk on the floor before closing the door behind them. Even a small gesture like that had her heart pounding in anticipation.

Luna put the thought out of her mind and began to take in the room. It was absolutely breathtaking. With a huge canopy bed, big maple wardrobe, and maple furnishings. The entire room was a combination of everything that the house was: airy and open, yet comfy and warm.

"So, thoughts?" Fred asked finally.

"It's perfect," Luna said quickly. "Everything is just… perfect. Just like I imagined it. But how could you afford all of it?"

"Well, I'm awfully good at magic, so Transfiguration came in handy," he said in a cocky manner that had Luna simultaneously rolling her eyes and laughing. "A lot of the furniture is secondhand, and I bought the rest. The shop really is a great source of income, so it didn't take long to get all of the money that I needed."

Luna nodded and continued to look around the bedroom. It was definitely her favorite room in the cottage. She stood in the middle of the room, taking it all in, when Fred's hands grazed against her hips and his mouth found the side of her neck.

Her heart nearly jumped into her throat as she turned around quickly to face him. He pressed his forehead against hers and looked at her for several long moments.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," Luna said firmly.

"Because I can wait," Fred said. "I've waited for so long already; a few months won't make that much of a difference."

Luna pressed her lips together and tried to fight back a laugh. It seemed that he was the nervous one now.

She was ready though, she had never felt so ready before in her life. The boy was perfect, the place was perfect, and the moment was perfect. The cottage just seemed to block out all of the darkness and terror happening in the world. Everything was calm and silent in that one moment.

"Fred, I love you," Luna said.

"I love you, too," Fred replied.

"I'm ready," she said.

It seemed that that one sentence was all he needed in the end. He wrapped his arms around her and picked her off of the floor before walking over to the bed. Gently, he laid her on the bed and started to kiss her while his hands began to pull the oversized shirt over her head.

His arms then became tightly wound around her back as she threw her own arms around his neck. Their mouths were slow and steady at first, but eventually became quick paced and desperate. As Fred's hand moved toward the clasp of her bra, he felt her tense up. It was clear that things were beginning to sink in.

"Just relax," Fred murmured against her skin. "I'll take care of you."

"I know you will," Luna said softly.

Interruptions weren't exactly foreign to them. But the moment was so perfect and quiet that it seemed nothing could interrupt them. Nothing would come between them as they became lovers at long last.


	84. White

_019. White_

The first thing that Luna registered as she woke up on the morning of September 1st was the light streaming through the curtains. Its glow was almost white in color, making everything in the room seem whole and pure. It was as if Death Eaters and Voldemort didn't exist. Everything was simple and wonderful, just like that pure stream of white light.

But the thoughts of Death Eaters and Voldemort soon came back to her anyway and she felt a terrible weight in her chest. She would be going to school today and would have to endure a year that would be anything but pleasant and educational. She would have to leave Fred again as well.

Luna was lying in bed on her side with the white sheet pulled up to her chest. Fred's arm was wrapped around her stomach and her back was pressed against his front. She vaguely wondered if this was what Ginny meant by "spooning". Turning her head, Luna's eyes instantly met two brown ones.

"Morning," Fred said with a content smile on his face.

"Good morning," Luna said.

The two just looked at each other for a moment, the events of last night slowly coming back to them. Instead of flushing or feeling embarrassed about what had happened or the fact that she was currently naked, Luna felt comfortable, happy. It wasn't exactly what had she had been expecting but it had been far from the worst.

"Sleep well?" Fred asked.

"I did for the little amount of time that you let me sleep," Luna replied.

Fred's mouth instantly broke out into a wide grin as he leaned forward and captured her lips with his. Luna smiled into the kiss, enjoying the simple nature of it. Everything that morning just felt so simple and easy. It really was a relief to what she was sure would come next. Enjoying this small bit of calmness was something that she fully intended on doing.

"How do you feel?" Fred asked once they parted from each other.

"Fine," Luna responded airily. "A bit sore, all thanks to you."

"You're welcome," he said as he continued to grin at her.

"What time is it?" Luna asked.

Fred rolled over on his back and reached to his bedside table to grab his watch. He strapped it on his wrist before looking at the face of it.

"About 8," he reported. "We've got plenty of time before we need to leave for King's Cross."

Luna sighed and sat up in bed, holding the sheet up to cover her chest. Before she could get out of the bed and drag the sheet along with her, Fred grabbed the sheet and pulled it back down.

"Fred, what are you doing?" Luna asked as she tried to make a grab for the sheet again, but he put it out of her reach.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," Fred shrugged. "And why are you already getting up?"

"Because I want to take a shower and get some breakfast," Luna protested.

"Shower, breakfast, who needs it?" Fred said lightly, taking her wrist and pulling her back to the bed.

Luna collapsed back on to the mattress and Fred instantly wrapped an arm around her, holding her into place at his side. She tried to give him an annoyed look, but he just shook his head at her.

In all honesty she was in no rush to take a shower or get breakfast. Staying in bed with Fred until the war ended seemed like the best option to her. School would be hell and so would anywhere else but the cottage. The cottage was their sanctuary and she wanted to stay there forever.

"I'm seriously considering not going to school and just staying here with you forever," Luna admitted.

"Yeah and I don't want to go on missions for the Order," Fred agreed. "But we wouldn't be able to forgive ourselves if we do that."

"How so?" Luna asked even though she was almost positive of his answer.

"Because we're not made for staying still," Fred said. "We're made for fighting for what we believe in and that's not going to happen here."

Luna smiled at him. He always knew just what to say. Still she couldn't bring herself to make another shower attempt. She knew that she needed to get ready soon, but at the same time she just wanted to stay rooted to the spot.

This was about to become a reality when Fred got out of the bed and pulled on his discarded boxers and jeans. Luna tried her best not to look as he got changed, but he had ogled at her, so it was really only fair. He stooped down on the floor and picked up more articles of clothing. Soon her bra, underwear, and one of his dress shirts were being tossed at her. Luna attempted to get changed under the sheets, but this only caused Fred to pull the sheets down.

Soon they were both half-dressed (which was fine by them) and sitting back on the bed. It seemed that anything and everything was up for a conversation topic. Nothing of real substance was given, but just listening to the others voice was a comfort. The next time Luna asked for the time it was approaching 10 o'clock and they both knew that they would have to get ready to leave soon.

"So," Fred said as he slipped off the side of the bed and stood at the side of it.

"So," Luna also said as she scooted over to his side, her toes barely brushing the floor as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I won't be seeing you until December," he said, opening the drawer of his bedside table as he talked.

"Thanks for reminding me," Luna groaned.

Fred just shook his head at her as he reached his hand into the drawer.

"But I want you to always remember me," he said. "I want people to always know that there isn't just Luna or just Fred. It's always going to be you and me."

"Of course," Luna nodded, still having no idea where he was going with this.

"I want that 'us' to be official though," he said before getting down on one knee in front of the bed.

"Fred…" Luna trailed off with eyes wide as he began to open a small, white ring box in his hand. "Is that another promise ring?"

"No," he said, gulping slightly and shaking his head. "It's something much bigger than that."

Luna gave a small nod as he finally opened the small box. Inside winking back up at her was a small white gold ring with a circle-shaped diamond in the center and a small pearl on each side. Luna forced herself to look at Fred instead of the opposing ring as her heart began to flutter wildly in her chest.

"Luna Lovegood, will you marry me?" he asked finally.

"No," Luna said shortly.

Fred almost dropped the ring case.

"I didn't mean that," Luna said quickly. "Oh, Merlin, I did not mean that. I swear to the Crumple-Horned Snorkack that I did _not _mean that. I just wanted to know what a 'no' felt like to say and it felt awful and-."

"Luna, Luna, breathe," Fred said as he placed a hand on her knee.

She quickly inhaled deeply and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Exhale," Fred advised.

She nodded and let the air go.

"So, is it a yes or a…" he couldn't even bring himself to say it.

"Yes," Luna said defiantly. "How could it be anything else but a yes?"

This caused Fred to grin widely as he wrapped his arms around her waist and stood up. He hoisted her into the air and immediately pressed his lips against hers. In an instant she went from being lifted up to being laid down on the white sheets of their bed.

"Fred, I need air!" Luna half-gasped, half-laughed.

Fred parted from her lips and pressed his forehead against hers, smiling happily.

"You scared me half to death, you know that?" he asked.

"Sorry," she said meekly.

He just smiled and shook his head as he grabbed the ring box and plucked the ring from inside. Taking her left hand in his he was about to slip the ring on her finger, to join her promise ring, when he gave her a meaningful look.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No doubts in my mind," Luna said serenely.

Fred smiled and slipped the ring on to her finger before kissing her again.


	85. Passing

_065. Passing_

It was impossible to determine how much time had passed since she had gotten there. Weeks, days, she wasn't sure. Maybe months had gone by. Entire months of sitting in a cold, damp, dark cellar. She wasn't alone, but conversation wasn't something that she was finding particularly easy at that moment.

Each of them had their own corner they would stay at until someone brought down food or came to bring one of them up. Being brought food was always better than being brought up.

Luna was tired and weak and sick. Terribly sick. Each night when it got desperately cold in the basement, she would wrap her arms around herself and cough until she fell asleep. She was grateful that conversation wasn't plentiful because it tore her throat apart to talk.

The coughing was one cause of her raw throat, but the more prominent one was the screaming. At first it had happened constantly, but now it didn't happen so often. They would bring her up frequently and then ask her questions that she didn't know the answers to. This wasn't what they wanted to hear though, and they would hurt her. Whether it was from a spell or a curse or a knife, it didn't matter. She would gain scars no matter what.

It was day time, she knew that at least, in Malfoy Manor. Pale light streamed through the crack in the ceiling and Luna stared at the light for something to do. It was still impossible to see what was happening in the cellar, but the thought of it being bright somewhere was a decently pleasant thought.

Stuck in a cellar being tortured every other day was not how she wanted to spend her holidays. The train ride back to Platform 9¾ was interrupted halfway to the station. Death Eaters boarded the train and took her away. If she thought about it she could remember every detail. How Neville had tried to fight the Death Eaters only to be knocked out. Ginny tried to help as well, but Luna knew that they would treat her the worst.

The last thing she could remember before her own personal hellhole was watching as Ginny tried to wake up an unconscious Neville as she was being dragged away. Then a sharp pain overcame her senses and she had woken up in the cellar.

Mr. Ollivander had been there for months. Dean had come after her.

One time Luna had tried to start a conversation. She talked about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Nargles and Wrackspurts and Quiddles. She had stopped at Quiddles because her throat had turned dry at the thought of Quiddles. The thought of the boy who made her face turn bright red.

She easily spun the two rings on her finger around. They were much too big now since her fingers had become even thinner. She was surprised that she was allowed to keep them, but at the same time she wasn't. The Malfoy family was rich, they didn't need her money, just her information. Information that she didn't have.

Luna continued to look at the streaming light as her mind recounted these memories. She closed her eyes and thought only of Fred. There was no doubt in her mind that he was coming for her; he was just taking longer than she had thought. He would come soon though, he had to.

The familiar sound of someone walking down the cellar steps could be heard and Luna instantly felt her heart begin to increase in pace. It was either food or someone coming to bring one of them up. Luna shut her eyes tightly and begged silently for food.

No such luck.

The footsteps stopped in front of her and she felt someone grasp her arm and pull her roughly on to her feet. Her eyes opened as she tried to identify the man who was dragging her toward the cellar steps. It became lighter as they approached the steps and Luna made out the horror in Mr. Ollivander's eyes before she could make out the profile of her escort. Turning her head quickly, Luna felt her heart fall considerably.

Fenrir Greyback. The werewolf.

Luna was too terrified to even attempt to stop walking. Greyback easily pulled her up the stairs before dragging her into the main room. It was empty except for another man at the opposite side of the room. She didn't recognize the man, but that didn't stop her from being scared of him as well.

Greyback forced her to sit down on a hard, wooden chair before he started to circle her. Luna pressed her dry, cracked lips together as she stared at a spot on the wall. If she behaved and did what they asked then she wouldn't be there long.

"So," Greyback said in his rough, calloused voice. "Are you prepared to talk today?"

Luna didn't have the faintest idea how to answer that question without getting her first Cruciatus Curse of the day, so she didn't answer at all. Apparently this question was rhetorical since she wasn't punished for staying quiet.

The man at the opposite side of the room walked toward the two of them and withdrew his wand. It was clear that he was the torturer today.

"Get away, Greyback," the man said impatiently. "I'll only need you if she tries to run away."

"Can't a stay a little closer?" Greyback inquired, brushing his hand across Luna's collarbone and up her throat. "She has such lovely, pale skin. I can't wait to break into it with my teeth."

Luna instantly shut her eyes tightly as Greyback touched her neck and face. His words weren't as harmful as his actions. Even the light brush of his hand against her skin had her on the verge of vomiting.

"No," the man said sharply. "She's a pureblood anyway. We don't want to spill any of her blood."

Greyback retreated to the other side of the room and Luna cautiously opened her eyes. Being a pureblood was the best thing about being captured. They were determined to break her, not to kill her.

"So, Miss Lovegood," the man said in a casual tone as he turned his wand over in his hands. "What are the whereabouts of Harry Potter?"

"I do not know," Luna stated.

"Wrong answer," he said.

Instead of casting the Cruciatus Curse, he casted another spell. Her ribs cracked and broke inside of her chest and Luna cried out in agony, fighting the intense urge to vomit. Then, her ribs were healed and the pain only lingered briefly. Luna sat gasping in the chair as she clutched her ribs.

"What are the plans of the Order of the Phoenix?" he asked.

"I do not know," Luna repeated.

This time her leg snapped and stuck out in a grotesque 90 degree angle. A scream couldn't even capture a fraction of the pain. Luna fell out of the chair and on to the hardwood floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Then, it was gone. Her leg was healed and the pain felt like a distant memory.

The torturer asked another question and Luna still didn't know the answer. This time her shoulder bones dug into her torso, causing an incredible pressure on her heart. Then she was healed.

It went on for hours. Time was passing more slowly than it ever had before. Luna resolved to lie hopelessly on the floor until it would stop. Until the pain would just stop.

When he was done he stowed his wand back in his pocket and stooped down to her level, his hot breath breezing across her face. She was lying limp on the floor, her body in perfect condition, but her heart and mind split in endless agony.

"I'll see you in a few days, Miss Lovegood," he said almost happily as he stroked a thumb over her lips.

Luna let out a half-sob, half-choke as Fenrir Greyback carried her back to the cellar. She sat unmoving on the cold stone floor.

Time was passing much too slowly for her liking.


	86. Weeks

_008. Weeks_

It was March. March already and no one was doing anything. They all sat around Muriel's house all day like nothing was wrong. There wasn't a war going on, their little brother wasn't gone, no, it was fine. Everything was perfectly fine.

Except that it wasn't.

It had been weeks, weeks that added up to months since Fred had learned about Luna being captured and no one was doing anything except for him. He had visited Xenophilius first, but that hadn't done him any good. Xenophilius was hysterical, he had no idea what to do with himself. Fred had tried to get information out of him, but nothing worked. Eventually he had gotten fed up with the crying and had just left. If he didn't want to find Luna that was fine, he could do it himself.

Putting together a search party wasn't exactly easy though. He had expected Xenophilius to help, but that idea hadn't panned out. George had helped a bit at first, but after a few weeks he had called it a lost cause. Fred had almost blown off his other ear after he had said that.

So, they were all sitting in Aunt Muriel's ancient living room. Mrs. Weasley was trying to start a conversation, Mr. Weasley was sitting silently in his chair, Aunt Muriel was complaining about something, various cousins were huddled together, and Fred was on the floor pouring over plans.

He had to find Luna and when he did he was going to do what he should have done in August. He should have made her stay with him. In the cottage, safe each and every day. She would never be harmed, each day would be shut out from everything and when the war was over she would go back to school. Then she would finish school and be a naturalist and he would have his shop with George, and then they would get married.

Just thinking about it hurt. Thinking about the life that he wanted and how it seemed like it was just a far-off dream. He wanted her safe and in his arms and that just didn't seem like happening anytime soon.

"Fred," his mother's voice asked him.

Fred looked up to see his mother looking at him cautiously. He didn't answer her.

"Fred, are you all right?" she asked.

He didn't have the faintest idea of what she was talking about until he felt something wet hit his knuckle. He pressed his hand against his cheek and felt silent tears traveling down his face. Gulping, Fred hastily wiped his face with his sleeves before standing up and taking his plans with him.

"Are you all right?" Molly asked again.

The question asked a second time set off something inside of him. It set off something that he had been holding in for a very long time.

"Yes," Fred said as he started to shake. "I'm just fine in this old house with all of my family. Food every day and plenty of blankets. I'm perfectly fine. But do you know who isn't fine? Do you know who has been tortured for weeks and probably won't ever forgive me because I haven't come sooner?"

Everyone was staring at him now. Some looked worried or scared, but most just looked at him with pity. It was the pity that hurt the most.

"Luna!" he shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. "Luna is being tortured for weeks. Hurt and beaten and battered. The woman that I love more than anything on this planet, the woman that I am going to marry."

He stopped once more to catch his words. To think of an accurate way to make them feel as miserable as he did.

"She had to spend Christmas and her 17th birthday somewhere cold and alone," he continued. "She's probably thinking about how I'm going to rescue her. But I can't do it on my own."

Tears were streaming down his face now and he didn't even bother to wipe them away.

"None of you will help me either," he said venomously. "None of you will even attempt to help me. My own family won't even help me. You know what all of you are?"

The question was clearly rhetorical. Some people had gone back to what they were doing. They were staring silently into space or passing notes amongst themselves.

"You are all just _fucking shit_," he spat.

There was one gasp from one of his older cousins. She had a child around 3 years-old and she was glaring at him hardly. Aunt Muriel was the one to speak up though.

"Now, George, I will not have that sort of language in my home," she said. "So, if you intend on staying here, you better shut your mouth."

"Oh, piss off," Fred said before leaving the room.

He wasn't halfway down the hall when his father stopped him.

"Where are you going?" Arthur asked tiredly.

"To get my things so that I can leave," Fred stated.

"To go where?" Arthur pressed.

"The cottage," Fred shrugged before continuing to the room that he shared with five others.

The cottage was now officially known to everyone. His father was the secret keeper and Fred and Luna were officially the proper owners. He hadn't been there since the day Luna had left for school, but going back there would help him think.

Or going back would distract him completely. His memories of that one perfect night that they had spent together were surely going to come back to him strongly and vividly.

After packing all of his belongings, Fred marched back to the sitting room and gave everyone a halfhearted wave. Some returned it, others didn't. Fred didn't care.

He disapparated quickly and easily and instantly found himself on the front porch. His throat was already beginning to close up and he could distinctly remember her seeing it complete for the first time. Fred shook the memories from his mind and marched into the cottage.

Without paying any attention to the downstairs, he made his way upstairs and into the bedroom he shared with Luna. Sitting down his trunk by the door, Fred observed the room to see that it was exactly the same. He made his way to the bed and sat down on the side before falling backwards on to the bed.

He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but he was awoken by a sharp knocking on the front door. Fred instantly grabbed his wand and headed out of the bedroom and downstairs. He made his way to the front door and pressed the side of his head against the wood of the door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Remus John Lupin," the voice said from the other side of the door. "Husband to Nymphadora Tonks and _father _to the newly born Ted Lupin!"

The pure excitement in his voice was enough to give it away that it really was Lupin. Fred opened the door and was about to invite him in when he noticed the smile on Lupin's face. It wasn't a "I'm a new father" smile, but a "I have some good news" smile.

"What?" Fred asked shortly.

"Come with me to Shell Cottage," Lupin said.

"Why?" Fred asked again, his patience starting to grow thin.

"They found her," Lupin said and that was all the explanation Fred needed.


	87. Rain

_066. Rain_

She looked awful, she smelled awful, and she felt awful. In conclusion, Luna was not having a very good day. It was the fourth consecutive day of being stuck in her room at Shell Cottage and she was determined not to leave. Ever since she had come here she had been grateful, but still weary.

Being back in a normal house with good people that she knew was wonderful, but bizarre. After being tortured nonstop and not being able to see the sunlight for months, coming to a place so full of life and light was particularly strange.

She had left her room at first to help Fleur with dinner or cleaning, but ever since Fred had arrived she had been staying cooped up in her room. She knew that she was lucky, a survivor, but she didn't want to see him. Her outer appearance was awful and no matter how many showers she took, the stink just wouldn't go away. It didn't matter how long she scrubbed at her skin, it always felt like a thin layer of grime was still there.

Fred had tried desperately to convince her to let him into her room to no success. It was only a matter of time before he forced his way in, but for now he was patient. Facing him would be difficult, but she knew she would have to do it soon. She wanted to be around him, but was also petrified of what would happen. He would want to know the exact events that took place at Malfoy Manor and she didn't know if she wanted to tell him. Luna had supplied Bill with a brief summary, but telling him and telling Fred were two completely different things.

Currently, Luna was sitting on her bed in the room she shared with Hermione. Hermione was downstairs with everyone else while Luna stayed tucked away upstairs. The older girl had tried to convince Luna to talk to Fred, but she had fiercely declined. Hermione had sighed and told her that she should at least bathe, but Luna declined that as well. If she took a shower she would most likely run into Fred in the hallway.

It was raining outside, slowly and steadily. The sound was something Luna had become accustomed to after staying in a cellar, but in the cottage it was an entirely different thing. Watching falling rain collide with crashing waves was one of the most beautiful sights Luna had ever seen.

Luna glanced down at her watch and saw that it was around 7 o'clock. That meant that everyone was eating dinner together. Luna briefly thought of escaping from her room to take a quick shower, but shook the idea off. Instead, Luna grabbed an old jacket of Fleur's and slipped it on. She pushed the window open and stepped out on to the sill.

Being on the second floor wasn't exactly the best way to get to the ground, but Luna managed. She took hold of the bricks of the house and made her way across a ledge. Soon she reached the chimney and she was able to climb down to the back porch. Quickly, Luna ducked under the windows before making her way to the beach.

She didn't have the faintest idea of how she was going to get back inside unnoticed, but at that moment she didn't care. All she wanted to focus on was the rain pouring down around her.

After a few minutes of walking, Luna reached the sandy shore. She stood with her hands in the pockets of the jacket as she gazed out at the ocean. Being at the beach was one of the most humbling things to her. In comparison to the vast ocean, she really didn't seem like much.

Sighing, Luna sat down on the sand and removed her shoes despite the fact that it was quite cold outside. She dug her toes into the cool sand and laid back on the beach. Closing her eyes, Luna had a feeling of content sink into her. Thinking about the troubling things wasn't necessary there and she could only recall one other place that made her feel so calm.

It was the cottage. That beautiful little house in the middle of a field had been a secret craving of hers for a while. She wanted to go back, but she had no way of getting there. She was only 16 after all.

Wait, that wasn't right. It was March now. Her birthday had been two months ago, making her 17 now. She hadn't passed her apparation test, but had taken lessons and she was confident that she could do it. With her mind set, Luna stood up and prepared herself to apparate to the cottage.

She was completely ready when a hand clamped down on her shoulder and she gave an almost violent lurch of surprise.

"What are you doing in the pouring rain?" Fred asked as he spun her around to face him.

Luna was about to answer him when she looked at him. He hadn't changed at all since she had seen him in August. He looked healthy and alive. She knew she looked awful, but at that moment she didn't care. How could she be so stupid as to lock herself away from him?

She didn't even bother properly answering him. She just threw her arms around him and tried to fight back tears of relief.

"I'm so sorry," Luna said.

"For what?" Fred asked incredulously as he moved his head back to look at her. "You were held captive for months. What do you have to apologize for?"

"I wouldn't let you see me for days," Luna explained.

"I understand," Fred said. "I'm just so happy that you're safe. If anything I should be the one apologizing, I didn't come to rescue you."

"It doesn't matter," Luna said, shaking her head.

Fred kissed her forehead before wrapping an arm around her as they headed back to Shell Cottage. Once they reached the front porch, Luna was about to open the door when Fred placed a hand over hers.

"What?" Luna inquired.

"The cottage," he said. "Our cottage. Let's go there."

"In the morning?" Luna asked, happy to see that he was on the same idea track as her.

"No, right now," he said. "We say our goodbyes and leave right now."

Luna pretended to think about it before nodding in agreement. They entered the house and went to explain to Bill and Fleur first. Neither seemed too sure about the plan, but with Fred and Luna being legal adults they couldn't exactly say anything about it. Next were Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dean. The goodbyes were short and filled with good luck. Last was Mr. Ollivander who presented Luna with a new wand he had made for her. She took it gratefully before turning to Fred.

She didn't have any possessions other than the clothes she was wearing and the wand she had newly required. Fred just had one rucksack and after another round of goodbyes, they turned on the spot and disapparated.

It was raining at the cottage as well and they quickly made their way inside.

"I need a bath," Luna said as they climbed the stairs to the second floor.

"I can help with that," Fred said.

Luna turned around to see a suggestive smirk playing across Fred's face. She blushed before thinking the obvious. He had already seen her naked, what was the big deal?

"All right then," Luna nodded as she headed toward the bathroom.

It took Fred a moment to realize that Luna was actually offering him an invitation. He followed her in the bathroom and watched as she began to fill the tub. Fred leaned against the sink counter as Luna started to shrug out of Fleur's jacket. She was about to pull her shirt over her head when Fred felt an overwhelming need to touch her skin.

He quickly made one large stride to her and ran his fingers along the hem of her shirt. Luna didn't protest and he slipped the shirt over her head, his fingers brushing her sides as he did so. Next he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down her legs.

The bath was full now and Luna reached behind her to turn off the water. Fred unclasped her bra and slid it from her arms, then hooked his fingers around her panties and slid them down her legs.

"Do you know how hard it is for me not to take you right now?" he asked as Luna slipped into the bath, sighing as she did so.

"Hm?" Luna hummed, giving him a dreamy smile.

Fred gave a short laugh and he sat down on the edge of the bath. He wasn't going to press the subject too quickly. Right now he knew that her comfort was the number one priority. After months of being held captive, a bath was probably a luxury.

"So what happened to you?" Fred asked as she began to wash her hair with some flowery shampoo.

She didn't answer right away, choosing to thoroughly soak her scalp in shampoo suds before answering. Then, she grabbed a glass cup from the bathtub's edge and filled it with water from the bath before dumping it on her head. She repeated this process a few more time until her hair was completely free of suds.

Just when he thought she was going to answer, she reached for the conditioner bottle and squirted some into her hand before rubbing her hands together. She worked her hands through her wet hair, covering all of it with the glossy gleam of conditioner. Piling the hair on top of her head, Luna reached for a washcloth and a bottle of face scrub.

Fred sighed and wondered if he should ask the question again. He knew that she had heard him. She was either avoiding the question or thinking of a proper way to respond. With Luna it seemed that both options were likely.

After washing and rinsing her face, Luna started to wash her body. This was probably the biggest distraction he could think of. She moved around so much in the bath it was driving him mad. It was as if her life mission was to reach every inch of her body and scrub it down with a loofah and honey-scented body soap.

She finished off her bathing routine with rinsing her hair of conditioner and shaving her underarms. Luna then drained the tub and grabbed a white, fluffy robe from the linen closet in the hall. Just as Fred thought she was finally going to open up, she joined him on the edge of the tub and started to shave her legs, a can of shaving cream sitting next to her.

"You're really going full-out Muggle on this, aren't you?" Fred observed.

"This is how I usually do it," Luna shrugged. "I don't know any good spells, so I'll just stick to this. Besides, I like it this way. It's comforting."

Fred nodded and let the image of her sink in. Her blonde hair was damp and a shade darker because of that. She looked terribly small and delicate in the fluffy robe. Her face was scrubbed clean and fresh-looking, a look of determination evident on her features as she got rid of the fuzzy, blonde hairs on her legs.

It didn't take her long to finish completely and after that they quickly headed to the bedroom. Luna did a cleaning charm on her undergarments and changed back into those. Fred stripped down to his boxers and offered her his shirt for her to sleep in.

They slipped under the covers and Luna lied pressed against him, her cheek on his chest and an arm across his stomach. It was still raining, a slow, familiar beat that filled in all of the silences.

"I love you," Luna said suddenly.

"And I love you," Fred replied, tilting her chin up and kissing her perfect pink mouth. "Now, what happened, Lu?"

Luna took a deep breath and started to retell the events of Malfoy Manor. She told him about the Death Eaters on the Hogwarts Express. She told him about the cellar and Dean and Mr. Ollivander. When she got to the torture and interrogation, she felt him tense up considerably. She tried to skirt around the details, but he pressed for more. She confessed to everything and added that she was grateful that any kind of sexual assault wasn't involved. The tale ended with Harry, Ron, and Hermione showing up and Dobby saving them, losing his life in the process.

She didn't tell the story without tears, but she was happy that she had made it completely through. He was the only one she wanted to tell and she was happy that it was over.

"You're safe," Fred stated after a long moment of silence apart from the rain. "All that matters is that you're safe."

Luna nodded before snuggling into his chest, signaling that she wanted to sleep. He didn't protest and nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. On the verge of sleep, Fred's last thoughts were that tomorrow morning they were going to be spending a lot of time in bed making up for lost time.


	88. Children

_028. Children_

April was coming to an end. Time had been moving forward quickly since their arrival at the cottage and both were grateful for that. Things were getting worse though. No one had found the cottage, but when either one went out into a nearby town it never was a happy visit.

Luna was reading her school books often. She wanted to catch up on her school work, but mostly she just wanted something to do. Fred was gone often, visiting his family and doing small missions for the Order to keep him busy. Sometimes he wouldn't be back for days at a time, leaving her alone in the cottage. She didn't mind and since she could apparate now she was never really bored.

Things at the cottage had been peaceful for the most part. Some of Fred's family members had visited a couple of times. Fred always had a sort of cold hostility to them as they greeted Luna, but Luna didn't have the faintest idea why. He had a huge family and all of them seemed to be genuinely nice people. Well, except for Aunt Muriel.

She hadn't been in contact with her father in a long time. According to the Order he was on the run. Luna worried about him every day and tried to think of a way to track him down. She had no idea how she would go about doing that though. All she could do was have hope and faith in him, faith that he was safe and unharmed somewhere.

These thoughts and more ran through Luna's head as she sat down on the tile floor of the upstairs bathroom. She hadn't been feeling too well lately and the thought of a cold coming on did not give her a good feeling inside. Colds weren't so bad, but if it was something worse than a cold she would be in trouble. If she went to St. Mungo's there would most likely be Death Eaters there and she would be recognized as the girl who was supposed to be in the Malfoy Manor.

Luna sighed and stood up, using the edge of the bathtub for support. Her stomach squeezed inside of her and she felt a dizzying headache coming on. Taking a deep breath, Luna stood up completely and willed herself to make it to the bedroom she shared with Fred. Once there she collapsed on to the canopy bed and exhaled.

Fred would be home any minute. He had gone out to buy some food at a local market. They had finally discovered that the cottage was located in Scotland. Where in Scotland, they didn't know, but it was peaceful and Luna enjoyed it.

After slipping under the layers of blankets and sheets on the bed, Luna was prepared to doze off when she heard the front door open. Fred was back. She contemplated on going downstairs to greet him or to stay in bed until he found her. She chose the latter.

He came upstairs a few minutes later and when he saw her in bed, a grin played on his features. Fred sat down on the edge of the mattress and looked at her. Her eyes were shut tight, but she was obviously still awake.

"Tired?" Fred asked.

"No," Luna said, opening her eyes and looking up at him. "I don't feel well."

"What's wrong?" he asked, brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"Dizzy, headache, stomachache, a bit of nausea," Luna sighed.

"Do you want anything?" he asked uncertainly.

Luna rarely got sick and when she did she always took care of herself. She had never had a serious illness before and she doubted what she had was something so bad.

"No thank you," Luna said, shaking her head. "How was the market?"

"I ran into a few Death Eaters," Fred admitted.

"What?" Luna asked as she tried to sit up in bed.

A sharp pain rippled through her head though and she groaned before laying back down. Fred gave a small laugh as he laid down next to her. Luna was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth and Fred just shook his head.

"Nothing happened," he said. "They didn't know who I was. Just assumed I was from some nearby town though. They called me a child."

"Oh?" Luna said.

"Yeah," Fred nodded. "I'm not a child though."

"Of course not," Luna said, shaking her head. "Well…"

She trailed off as she decided that her comment wouldn't be the smartest thing to say. He was visibly upset about being called a child, but Luna didn't see what was to get upset about.

"What?" Fred asked, sensing that there was something she wanted to talk about.

"Well, we are a bit like children, aren't we?" Luna said, picking her words carefully. "In terms of this war anyway. We weren't involved in the first war, but with this one it's all around us. We're children of this war."

Fred looked at her for a moment, trying to get a read on her, then he just sighed and shook his head.

"This cold is making you sound crazy," he said. "I'm 20 years-old, I'm not a child. You're 17; you're not a child either. Hell, we're old enough to have children."

As soon as he said it he regretted it. It was obvious from Luna's face that she did not know how to react or respond to that statement. She just nodded her head in vague agreement. Fred coughed into his hand before sitting up and swinging his long legs to the side of the bed.

"Um, you should get some sleep," he said, standing up and walking toward the door. "If there's anything you need, just ask."

Luna wasn't able to respond because he instantly left the room. She sighed and closed her eyes once more. Of course she wanted to have children with Fred, but not for at least five years. Or seven years. Maybe ten. She wasn't sure, she just knew that she didn't want it to be any time soon.


	89. Dinner

_058. Dinner_

Leaving the house was becoming progressively more difficult. There were rumors going around that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had actually broke in to Gringotts and escaped on a dragon. Whether these rumors were true or not, Luna didn't know, but she secretly hoped that they were. If the trio was finally going out into the open and doing something big like that, then things were changing. Hopefully for the good.

Those rumors were only a few hours old. It was in the evening and the Order was currently packed into the cottage. Mrs. Weasley was cooking dinner and Luna was helping. Everyone was in the dining room talking in hushed tones about what their next move would be and Luna found herself straining to listen in.

"Oh, don't bother yourself with that," Molly said as she took the peels off of the potatoes with a flick of her wand. "It won't do you any good, especially since you've been through so much already."

Luna gave a small smile before focusing back on the carrots she had been chopping for the past ten minutes. After being captured at Malfoy Manor everyone had been treating her like she was made of china. Mrs. Weasley had even been hesitant to let her cut up the carrots. At first the tenderness had been nice, comforting, but now it was just aggravating.

As Luna finally finished chopping the carrots, she dumped them into the giant pot on the stove and looked into the dining room. Fred was sitting next to George at the end of the table. He seemed so serious as he discussed all of the top-secret Order business. It was a weird thing to see him so intent, a bit unsettling. She was used to him grinning and cracking jokes, with the occasional serious remark, but now he was very straight-faced.

"Luna, dear, can you chop the celery next?" Molly asked as she pointed to a few stalks. "You'll have to wash them as well."

"All right," Luna said, nodding as she turned on the sink and ran the celery stalks beneath the cold water.

"Now, I have to say," Molly said, stirring the pot of stew on the stove before checking on the bread in the oven. "This is a very nice place you two have here. It's a bit soon for you two to be living together though."

"Oh, I agree," Luna nodded. "I'll move back in with my dad once all of this madness is over."

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her in appreciation and Luna forced a smile back. The truth was that she didn't think she could move back in with her dad. From what she had heard, their house was destroyed and the cottage was much safer. Besides, the cottage was a great place to raise a child.

Luna had been suspecting that her "cold" wasn't just a cold and had taken a chance by going to St. Mungo's. Just a few days ago Fred had been sent on a small, one-day mission for the Order. As soon as he had left she had apparated to St. Mungo's after altering her appearance slightly. It didn't take long for the healer to run a few tests and to find that she was one month pregnant.

The news was a shock to say the least. After leaving St. Mungo's she had returned to the cottage and had just lied in bed for hours thinking. Of course she was going to keep the baby, but she wasn't sure to how Fred would react. She had been determined to tell him as soon as he had gotten home, but at the last second her mind had changed. What if he left because of the baby? She knew the idea was ridiculous, but her mind kept going back to that possibility.

The baby was due at the beginning of January, a little less than two weeks before her 18th birthday. Seventeen years-old and already pregnant with a child. Luna kept thinking of all the people who would be disappointed in her. Professor McGonagall, no doubt about that, Mrs. Weasley most likely, her own mother probably wasn't smiling down on her today.

So, there she was, making dinner with her soon-to-be mother-in-law, one month pregnant and being the only one who knew about it. Fred was sitting in the dining room talking about such serious topics and he didn't even know. After everyone left she would tell him. Then as a couple they would tell everyone else. He deserved to know and keeping it from him wasn't exactly fair.

This was the plan until she was being ushered into the dining room along with Mrs. Weasley. The conversation had gone from serious and somber to serious and frantic. People were leaving quickly and everyone else just looked panicked.

"What's going on?" Mrs. Weasley asked her husband.

"We're going to Hogwarts," Mr. Weasley said. "We've just got word. There's going to be a fight."

"A fight?" Luna asked.

Fred came instantly to her side and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"Luna, there's going to be a battle at Hogwarts tonight," he said. "I have to go and help, you should stay here."

"Stay here?" Luna asked incredulously. "Why would I stay here? I'm 17, I can make my own decisions."

Fred's mouth started to form into a grin. "I knew I wouldn't be able to convince you. Come on, we're apparating to Hogsmeade and entering the school through the Hog's Head."

"You can enter the school through the Hog's Head?" Luna asked.

"Apparently," Fred shrugged.

In all of the chaos it took Luna a moment to realize that everyone had left already. They were alone in the cottage. Fred had dashed upstairs to get a few supplies leaving Luna alone to ponder over some things. If she told him about the baby there was no way he would let her go into battle. But she wanted to fight, she wanted to protect.

Besides, there would be other times to tell him.


	90. Taste

_039. Taste_

What was once thought to be only a fight was quickly turning into a battle. Voldemort was just outside the school along with his Death Eaters that could enter at any moment. Everyone was starting to split up into groups and Luna had been recruited to help Harry find something. She had to lead him to the Ravenclaw common room to show him Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. Luna had no idea why he wanted to see it, but she had agreed nonetheless.

The pair was just about to duck under the Invisibility Cloak when Luna spotted Fred in the corner of the room talking to his brothers. This was all going to end up in a giant fight and she had a nagging feeling that things weren't going to end out well for everyone. She had to tell him about their baby and in these circumstances, sooner really did seem like the better option.

But if she told him now there was no way he would allow her to go into the battle. She wanted to fight, but she also wanted what was best for her baby.

It was obvious that Harry was becoming impatient (and even more distressed), and Luna knew that she had better leave with him soon. So, she tried to catch Fred's eye, waved when she did, and then slipped under the Invisibility Cloak with Harry.

* * *

Fred watched as Luna disappeared under Harry's cloak. A nervous feeling was beginning to pit in his stomach. This battle was going to be a lot more difficult than anyone had initially thought. His main concern was keeping Luna safe and her sneaking away with Harry did not seem to be the best approach to that.

Kingsley was beginning to give out instructions, so Fred pushed all thoughts of Luna from his mind. She would be fine, she was strong and could take care of herself. Besides, Harry was with her. Harry had fought off more dark wizards and dangerous creatures than Fred had ever known. Everything would be fine.

Still amongst his thoughts, Fred heard Kingsley assign him and George to the secret passageways. This seemed like the perfect area for Fred to be in since he had all of the passages memorized. He tried to give a grin to George as they exited the Room of Requirement, but it wasn't working.

Despite the fact that they were both usually very cocky, it was a little hard to come to terms with the fact that someone that they knew could very well be dead by morning.

"You okay, Freddie?" George asked.

"Yeah," Fred nodded.

"Me too," George replied, nudging his brother with his elbow.

* * *

Things were happening quickly now. Spells were being fired across the halls and shouts seemed to fill the air. There was no telling if the spells or curses were meant for her, but Luna deflected them anyway. This battle was turning into an awful mess and Luna wasn't exactly feeling calm.

Usually she kept her head straight in these situations. She was always able to keep calm, but it was getting more and more difficult. Especially with the constant reminder she was carrying with her.

She wasn't responsible for just her own life anymore, there was another life growing inside of her and if she died then so would her child. Just thinking about it made her feel even more foolish to be out here in a swarm of curses. Going back to the Room of Requirement or the Hog's Head was increasingly becoming a wiser idea, but she couldn't bring herself to go back.

Not until she had found Fred and told him. He was going to keep fighting no matter what and she needed to tell him about the baby. She had to.

So, she was on the sixth floor currently, the Room of Requirement directly above her. She could go to safety or find Fred.

There wasn't even enough time to think these two choices through when she heard someone calling out her name. Turning around she saw Neville bounding toward her. He looked awful, his face was covered with cuts and bruises, but other than that he was the same Neville.

When he reached her it appeared that he didn't know if he should smile or not. She had the same dilemma. She was happy to see him, but not exactly under these circumstances. They silently agreed on a short reunion hug.

"I've missed you," Luna said as she wrapped her arms around his back.

"I've missed you too," Neville said, an uneasy grin on his face. "These circumstances aren't exactly ideal though, are they?"

"No, not really," Luna said, backing away from him.

"Well, are you all right?" he asked. "Keeping safe?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine," Luna confirmed.

"All right, Fred will be pleased to hear that," Neville said, nodding. "He's on his way up here, so you'll see him soon."

Apparently this counted as a goodbye because the next thing she saw was Neville dashing down the corridor away from her and Fred sprinting toward her. He looked fine, absolutely perfect and she knew that she had to tell him now.

Once he reached her he didn't bother with any preamble. He grasped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was fast and passionate, leaving Luna feeling slightly lightheaded.

"I love you so much," Fred said as he pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her neck. "I just needed to see you before I went back out there. Just needed to taste you."

Usually such a blunt and honest statement would have Luna blushing, but not that time. She clutched on to the back of his jacket and took a deep breath. No more hiding, it was now or never.

"Fred, I need to tell you something and it can't wait," she said.

"What is it?" Fred asked, slight panic coming across his face.

"I'm pregnant," she said. "One month along. Due at the beginning of January."

Fred looked at her blankly, blinked a few times, before a small smile cracked across his face. He tightened his arms around her, lifted her into the air, and spun her around.

"A baby?" he asked. "Really?"

"Yes," Luna said, nodding. "You're not nervous?"

"I'm too happy right now to be nervous," he said, grinning goofily. "Wow, how are we going to take care of a baby? Oh, we'll ask Mum, she's had seven of us- wait."

His face went from jovial to firm in a matter of seconds.

"Why the hell are you out here fighting?" he asked. "I can't stop you if you're 17, but I can stop you if you're carrying our child inside of you."

"I was just heading back to the Room of Requirement," Luna explained, still a little dazed from his reaction to the news. "I needed to tell you."

"Well, you've told me, so go!" he said hastily.

Luna nodded, a bit taken aback by his brashness, as she headed toward the stairs. She was halfway there when he ran after her and grabbed her elbow to spin her around.

"One more," he said before pressing their lips together once more, this time sweeping his tongue inside her mouth.

He broke apart and looked at her with a mixture of fear and adrenaline. Luna attempted a reassuring smile, but kissed his cheek instead.

"I love you," she said.

Fred nodded and Luna quickly turned around to head back up the stairs. She was on the second flight of stairs when she looked down to see that Fred had joined his brother, Percy, in battle.


	91. Death

_030. Death_

If he was with his brother then he would be fine.

This is what Luna continually told herself as she headed toward the Room of Requirement. She knew that her time to fight had ended and her main priority was to get somewhere safe. The life of their child was with her and if she did anything reckless, then the baby would suffer. She would head to the Room of Requirement, go through the passage to the Hog's Head and wait for all of this to end.

She was only a few feet from the room when she noticed that smoke was billowing from under the door. Someone was already in there and apparently starting a fire. Luna couldn't think of a possible explanation for someone to set an entire room on fire, but she knew that going in there would be a very stupid thing to do. If she wasn't carrying a child then she would have charged right in. She was though and charging right in would be a very stupid thing to do.

The Room of Requirement option was out so Luna tried to think of a safe place to go. Somewhere that no one knew about, or that no one would bother to look in. She thought about it for a while, the Room of Requirement still bursting with smoke, getting stronger by the second. A thought then occurred to her. Classrooms! No one would go into a classroom since all of the action was happening in the hallways.

Quickly, Luna brought up her mental map of Hogwarts. She was on the seventh floor making the closet classroom the Arithmancy classroom. Luna had never taken the subject, so she didn't know the exact location, but she knew the general area.

Without a second to spare, Luna hurried past the Room of Requirement and to an empty corridor just as the doors to the Room of Requirement burst open, going unnoticed by Luna.

She hadn't been moving for five minutes when a quick flash of light bounced off of the stone walls. Luna withdrew her wand and pointed it in the direction of the light. A shield charm was on the tip of her tongue when she saw a Death Eater being tossed into the air and her own father being the one pointing the wand. The Death Eater crumpled to the ground, unconscious, and Xenophilius lowered his wand before moving away from him quickly.

As soon as he turned to face Luna his face brightened considerably. Words weren't exchanged as the two Lovegoods moved quickly toward each other and embraced the other in a tight hug.

"Oh, my Luna!" Xenophilius cried. "I've missed you."

"And I've missed you!" Luna said in response.

She hadn't seen her father since August and she had missed him terribly. They hadn't spent much time together lately and all she wanted to do was to be held in his familiar arms.

"What are you doing all the way over here?" he asked. "I thought that you would be fighting."

"I'm going to safety," Luna explained. "It's not a good idea for me to be in harm's way."

"Well, of course it isn't," Xenophilius nodded. "But, this just isn't like you, Luna."

Luna felt her stomach slowly start to form into tiny knots. She had to tell him, there was no escaping it now.

"Dad, I'm pregnant," Luna revealed.

She expected him to be ashamed of her, but instead he just gave a slow nod.

"Well, I knew that," he said with a shrug. "You're much heavier than you were before."

"Heavier?" Luna asked quickly, a hand flying to her stomach. "I'm only a month along though!"

Xenophilius gave another shrug and Luna felt baffled by his reaction. Well, lack of reaction was probably a better way to put it.

"So, are you disappointed?" she asked softly.

"No," Xenophilius said. "I just wish it wasn't so soon."

Luna gave a small nod as Xenophilius leaned down and pressed a kiss to his daughter's head.

"Well, since you're not fighting, I will have to fight twice as hard!" Xenophilius said valiantly.

Without another word, Xenophilius embraced Luna once more before skipping down the corridor. Luna watched his back until she couldn't see him anymore. She sighed and continued down the hallway. Her wand was pointed on the knocked out Death Eater as she passed him, but as soon as she was a good ways away she relaxed.

Finally after a few more minutes of walking she reached the Arithmancy classroom. Luna entered the deserted classroom and with a wave of her wand sealed the door. She sat down at one of the desks and looked around the room. Numerous charts littered the stone walls and there were models of odd shapes everywhere.

Luna never did know what Arithmancy was about. Something with numbers and charts and since neither of those interested Luna she hadn't taken the subject. She had heard that it was quite difficult as well and that hadn't exactly sold the prospect of it either.

Time was moving slowly in the room and it was nerve-racking to hear the sounds of battle all around her. Spells, curses, cries, all of it seemed to echo around the deserted room. It wasn't the cheeriest place to be, but Luna just kept thinking of her baby. This baby was the reason to be here and she was not ashamed that she was hiding to protect it.

As soon as Luna placed a hand over her stomach, the room seemed to give a sudden lurch and Luna fell out of her chair and on to the stone floor. Her ears were ringing from a loud noise and her bottom was beyond sore, but other than that she was fine. An explosion had just happened and normally she would have gone to investigate, but not that time.

Slowly, Luna stood up from the floor and sat carefully back into her chair. Her hand never left its protective place on her stomach.

* * *

If she was heading toward safety then she would be fine.

This is what Fred continually told himself as he dashed through the sixth floor corridor with Percy. He knew Luna would be able to take care of herself. Besides, if a Death Eater cornered her she could use the "I'm pregnant" excuse. Fred knew that there was no way that all Death Eaters could be heartless, so if it came to that she would probably still manage to get away.

Even though Fred believed wholeheartedly in this, he still felt uneasy. What if she tripped and bumped into an angry Death Eater who didn't care if she was pregnant or not? The idea seemed almost comical, but Fred knew that Luna was a huge klutz and the idea didn't seem entirely ridiculous. If he was going to make it through this battle then he had to keep his head on straight and convince himself that she was perfectly fine. She had to be perfectly fine or else he wouldn't know what to do.

Apparently some of this distress was showing up on his face since Percy stopped moving and studied him for a long moment. His older brother looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't trying to pry. At that moment Fred didn't care if he pried or not. They were in the middle of a huge battle, he really didn't mind if his brother wanted to know about his private life.

"What is it?" Fred asked in a neutral tone. He didn't come across as rude or sarcastic at all, surprising both of them.

"Well, it's just that I think you're worrying about her," Percy said. "Your friend, Miss Lovegood. I'm sure she's fine, Fred."

The last sentence seemed a bit forced, as if Percy didn't quite believe it. Fred observed his brother for a moment. They were in a relatively calm part of the castle and telling him something that everyone else knew didn't seem so bad. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't had any contact with Percy since the summer before his seventh year. Percy had decided to ditch the family just a few days before they left for Grimmauld Place.

"Actually, Luna's my fiancée," Fred said, trying to sound nonchalant. "And, also the woman carrying by unborn child."

It felt strange to say the last sentence and it was obvious by Percy's sudden discomfort that he wasn't expecting such an intimate detail.

"Oh, well," Percy said, attempting to think of a proper response. "Well, then I really hope that she's safe."

"Me too," Fred nodded, turning around and heading toward a staircase.

The conversation was over and now it was time to decide to go up or down. He placed his hands on the rail and looked at his brother.

"Do you want to go up to see if you can spot her?" Percy asked.

"Hell yes," Fred sighed and then darted up the stairs, Percy right behind him.

They reached the corridor with the Room of Requirement just as two other Death Eaters appeared. Fred and Percy both raised their wands and began to duel. Fred caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione from the corner of his eye. It was obvious from Harry's face that he didn't know that Death Eaters had already infiltrated the castle.

The trio was about to run forward to help when the man Percy was dueling backed away quickly, his hood slipping off.

"Hello, Minister!" Percy bellowed, sending a jinx at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and scratched at the front of his robes in apparent discomfort. "Did I mention I'm resigning?"

"You're joking, Perce!" Fred shouted.

The man he was dueling fell from the weight of three separate Stunning Spells and Thickness appeared to be turning into a sea urchin on the floor. Fred looked at Percy and couldn't believe what he was hearing. His face instantly turned gleeful.

"You actually _are _joking, Perce," Fred said incredulously. "I don't think I've heard you joke since you were-."

The air exploded. Everything was rippling apart and nothing seemed entirely real in that moment. Fred felt himself flying through the air. The last things he registered before landing all happened quickly in a blurred series.

A huge piece of rubble came flying from nowhere, aimed right toward his skull. He didn't even have time to panic because something heavy wrapped around his middle and pulled him away from the rubble. It still grazed him in the back of the head and he felt an incredible pain before he collapsed on to the stone floor.

He was unconscious for seconds, everything going from being black to being the present. He was alive though, and that was all that mattered. Slowly, Fred sat up and took in his surroundings. Dust was billowing around the corridor, but it quickly cleared.

He wondered what had save him from the rubble and it didn't take him long to find the answer. Asking "what" wasn't the question, but "_whom_".

Lying next to him in a coughing, crumpled, bloodied heap of impossible bright robes was Xenophilius Lovegood.

Fred instantly went to him, ignoring the throbbing from the back of his head as he gingerly rolled the older man on his back. Xenophilius coughed and spluttered and when Hermione arrived with a bottle of Dittany, they all knew it was too late.

"You saved me?" Fred said, asking more than stating.

"I've told you a thousand times," Xenophilius coughed, straining to choke out his final words. "That it's obvious that you're the most important one in Luna's life. I had to."

He was talking so clearly that Fred felt that there was no possible way that he could die. This couldn't be his death.

"Do me… a fav…or," he said, his words still clear, but starting to fade.

"Anything," Fred said quickly.

"Take care… of her," Xenophilius said, giving a choked smile before closing his eyes.

Hermione's sobs were the only thing that could be heard after that.


	92. Heart

_047. Heart_

The battle was over. Harry had defeated Voldemort. Death Eaters were being held in the dungeons until someone could find a way to take them to Azkaban. Kingsley was acting as the Minister of Magic. The war was over, the battle was over, and now everyone was in the Great Hall.

Those who hadn't lost anyone were celebrating happily and loudly. Those who had huddled with friends and family to be comforted. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had mysteriously disappeared. The Weasley family was clumped together at a table, happy that they had all made it.

The bodies of the fallen had been moved to a corridor off of the Great Hall. They were lined up next to one another like they had been in the Great Hall less than an hour before. Mourners were next to their lost loved ones.

And that is where Fred found Luna.

She wasn't crying or in any great sense of distress. That kind of outright emotion didn't seem to fit Luna. When everyone had been in the Great Hall healing the injured and mourning the dead, Fred had found Luna. She had been in the Arithmancy classroom, fast asleep. He had contemplated coming back later. In that moment she had seemed so peaceful and breaking her heart like that would have been too hard.

He told her anyway. She was disbelieving at first, but he brought her to the Great Hall to see her father. Fred tried to tell her that Xenophilius had saved him, but it seemed that she wasn't listening. Ginny and Neville were the first two to comfort her. It had hurt so much to see her sob silently into Neville's chest while Ginny wrapped an arm around her.

So, he had stupidly ran away. He went to the Gryffindor common room and tried to sort out what he was feeling. Seeing Luna so broken and hurt felt terrible and he felt guilty. Like it should have been him who had died. The thought was downright morbid though and Fred had pushed it from his mind.

Fred had stayed in the Gryffindor common room, stowed away safely, when Neville found him. Neville Longbottom had punched him in the face and called him a coward. That was the last thing Fred had expected.

When he reached the Great Hall, the fighting had started again and he hadn't had the chance to talk to Luna.

So, now it was all over and there she was. There was the most beautiful, strange, and amazing girl he had ever met and she was heartbroken beyond belief.

Fred took a deep breath and walked down the corridor to meet her. He sat down next to her and cupped the back of her neck before kissing her temple. Luna let out a sigh and pressed the side of her face against his heart. Her eyes didn't leave her father and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

It was one of the rare moments in Fred's life that he didn't know what to say or do. Should he tell her about what happened? Should he tell her that everything was going to be all right? Should he just not say anything at all?

"Fred," Luna said softly, her voice slightly hoarse from the crying.

"Yeah?" he inquired.

Luna didn't say anything after that. The look on her face obviously indicated that she was at a loss for words. It looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. Other mourners around them were much louder with their loud sobs and cries. Some were questioning why such a terrible thing had happened, others were pleading with an invisible force to bring their loved one back. It made Fred very uncomfortable.

"Can we go to the Astronomy Tower?" Luna asked.

"Are you sure you want to leave him?" Fred questioned.

"Just for a little bit," she said and he heard her voice crack slightly.

Fred helped Luna stand up and the couple silently made their way to the Astronomy Tower. It hadn't taken them long to reach their destination and once they were there Luna sat down on the cool stone floor. Fred joined her and wrapped an arm around her protectively.

They stayed like that for only a few seconds before Luna stood up and walked toward the railing of the tower. Fred wondered if he should join her or not, but decided not to. She probably needed some space.

"How did it happen?" she asked, uncertainty obvious in her voice.

"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked.

"Yes," Luna confirmed with a nod of her head.

So he told her. He told her that he had been with Percy, dueling two Death Eaters when a wall exploded. He told her that he had been flying through the air when he saw a huge piece of rubble come soaring toward him. He told her that someone had moved him out of the way at the last second and gotten hit by the rubble instead. Finally, he told her the last words of Xenophilius Lovegood and how he wanted Fred to take of her.

She was sobbing noisily now and Fred instantly went to her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest. Luna's small hands clutched the back of his jacket.

"What am I supposed to do?" she sobbed. "I don't have a mother, I don't have a father, and I don't know how I'm going to manage everything. The funeral and the magazine and the house and-"

"Luna, look at me," Fred said, moving back a little so that she could look at him.

Her blue eyes were filled with tears and looked impossibly swollen. Her face was flushed and stained with tears.

"I'll help with everything," he said. "I'll help with the funeral and the magazine and the house."

Luna continued to look at him and it was if they were on the Astronomy Tower for the first time. She was eleven, he was fourteen, and a storm had been raging around them. She had been crying that time as well, for her mother though.

"Don't think for one single second that you're alone," he said. "You have me, Ginny, Neville, my entire family. You have so many people who love you, they're not replacements for your father, but they love you. I love you and I know our baby is going to love you. You're not alone, Lu. You will never be alone."

She looked at him in such a lost and helpless way that it nearly broke his heart. But in that look there was a bit of hope. There was a bit of his Luna surfacing through the despair and he knew that after grieving she would come back to him.


	93. Why?

_080. Why?_

It was the beginning of July, two months after the Battle of Hogwarts, and things were finally starting to piece themselves back together again. Fred and George had reopened the shop. Business had been slow at first, but it was quickly picking up to its previous pace.

Hogwarts was surprisingly open again. Once word got out about the battle, wizards and witches from all across the world came to help rebuild the school. After just two months it was more or less back to its original state. Classes were starting again soon for all of the students who hadn't finished their previous year since it had been cut short.

Luna was going back as well to finish her sixth year and to get an early start on her seventh. She was three months into her pregnancy and was starting to show. Getting an early start on her seventh year would help since she wouldn't be able to go back to school after the winter holidays. She planned on graduating in December and then going back in the spring to take her N.E.W.T.s.

Fred and Luna were in the cottage putting the finishing touches on the baby's nursery. They still didn't know if it was a boy or girl, but they were certain that it was just one baby and not twins or triplets.

It had taken a while for Luna to get over her father's death. Well, she still wasn't over it, she never would be. She was a lot calmer about it now though. There were still times when Fred would find her in their bedroom crying over a picture of him, but that was natural and he always held her until she would calm down. _The Quibbler_ had been discontinued, the house was beyond repair and after getting all of the belongings out of it the house was demolished, and the funeral had been small and intimate.

The Weasleys had all been very supportive of Luna and were all looking out for her. The reveal of the pregnancy had been more than a little shocking, but everyone seemed to be fine with it. Well, Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to be too fine with it; she came around though and seemed very happy at the prospect of her first grandchild.

"So," Fred began as he sat down in the middle of the brightly colored room. "How about 'Gideon' for a boy? That was my uncle's name and it's my middle name, I think it has a nice ring to it."

"Gideon?" Luna said, sitting across from him. "We are not naming our child Gideon."

"All right, how about 'Fabian'?" Fred asked. "That was my other uncle's name, George's middle name as well."

"Let's not name him after someone who died," Luna sighed, shaking her head. "Let's give them a brand new name. Besides we should focus on girl names as well."

"Girl names, right," Fred nodded. "How about 'Mary'?"

"You really put no thought into that, did you?" she asked.

Fred just laughed and shrugged as he scooted across the carpet to Luna and took her hand in his. Luna gave him a small smile which he returned and they both just looked at each other for a while.

Soon, Luna's eyes drifted around the nursery as she took in the finished product. The walls were painted a soft canary yellow and Luna had doodled pictures of animals and creatures on it. The carpet was a light shade of gray and the room was filled with maple furniture. It was all very light and bright, perfect for a baby of either gender.

"How about middle names?" Luna suggested.

"Middle names," Fred stated. "Why middle names?"

"Because usually the middle name is a name that we like, but not the favorite," Luna shrugged.

Fred nodded and started to think of this prospect. From his experience of knowing people with middle names, they usually didn't like them.

"Why don't we just skip middle names?" Fred said. "You don't have one, and I'm not too fond of mine."

"All right," Luna shrugged. "That does make it easier. Now we just have to think of one name."

"A name that we won't have to have until January of next year," Fred pointed out. "There's no need to rush it, Lu."

Luna nodded, but Fred could tell that she was getting anxious about it. He thought that with the nursery finished she would be more relaxed, but apparently not. She would be leaving to go back to school in a few days and he really wanted to spend all of the time they had left together.

"Why are you so anxious about all of this?" he asked. "Everything will be fine."

"You always say that," Luna said, giving him a sad smile. "But what if everything isn't fine? What it we give our child the wrong name?"

"I didn't think there was a wrong name," Fred laughed.

"Well, what if they don't like the name?" Luna inquired.

Fred sighed and shook his head. She was thinking way too much into this entire thing.

"I'm sure he or she will love the name," he said.

They sat in an awkward silence for a moment as they both thought over everything. There had been a question nagging on Luna's mind the past few weeks, but she was a little afraid to ask it.

What about the wedding? Why were they holding it off? She was already showing and she didn't want to look as big as a Blibbering Humdinger at her wedding.

Maybe she should just get it out of the way. Ask him about it now. Put all of her worries aside for good.

Luna was about to do just that when Fred stood up and started to stretch.

"It's about lunch time," he said, looking at the clock on the wall. "We should get something to eat."

Luna just nodded in agreement and followed him out of the baby's room, closing the door behind her.


	94. Shapes

_041. Shapes_

"So, boy or girl?" Ginny asked.

Luna looked up from the Herbology book she had been attempting to comprehend. It was September and Luna was almost done with her sixth year, next week she would be starting on her seventh year thanks to her accelerated school schedule.

Ginny was obviously asking about the baby. Last week she had gone to St. Mungo's for her monthly check-up and the healer asked if she wanted to know the gender of her baby. Luna had declined the offer though. She didn't really care either way, and if she was going to find out before the birth then she wanted Fred to be there.

"I don't know," Luna shrugged as she closed the confusing textbook. "I didn't want to find out without Fred being there."

"Well, that's no fun," Ginny sighed as she finished off her rather lengthy Transfiguration essay. "Mum wrote to me yesterday asking if I knew."

"She wrote me as well," Luna said.

It was true. Mrs. Weasley had taken it upon herself to send Luna a letter and care package every week. The letter mostly contained questions about her health and the baby, but it was nice to know that someone was looking out for her. Fred's letters weren't as frequent as she would have liked since he was so busy with the shop. Mrs. Weasley's letters were always something to look forward to since she didn't receive any letters from her father anymore.

Without a second to pause, a lump started to form in Luna's throat and she rapidly blinked back hot tears. Thinking about her father still hurt terribly and she suspected that she would never not feel that way. He had been in her world for so long and now he was just gone. He hadn't even had the chance to see his grandchild.

Luna felt Ginny pat her gently on the hand and she looked up to see a sympathetic glance. Even if Ginny didn't know exactly what she was feeling so miserable about she probably had an idea. Luna gave a quick nod to indicate that she was fine before standing up.

Packing away her things, Luna couldn't help but notice all of the looks she got. She was five months pregnant now and there was no hiding the prominent baby bump. Some people thought she had gotten fat, but most instantly knew it was a baby. People ignored her, called her a slut, or asked her when she was due. None of these reactions bothered Luna. Well, nothing anyone said bothered Luna, it was all just petty gossip anyway.

When Ginny and Luna were ready to leave the library, they headed toward the door just as it swung open to reveal Neville. Neville was talking to a Hufflepuff girl with blonde hair and both looked rather flustered. Ginny and Luna exchanged a brief look before they both made their way into the hallway.

Once they were outside they turned to each other.

"Was that Neville with a girl?" Luna asked.

"Yeah," Ginny said seeming slightly alarmed.

"Do you know who she is?" Luna inquired.

"Hannah Abbott," Ginny shrugged. "She's in his year. I didn't know they were friends."

"Well, apparently so," Luna said.

The two girls looked at each other before breaking out into giggles.

* * *

"Boy or girl, did she say?" Molly Weasley asked excitedly as soon as Fred walked into the Burrow.

Fred instantly felt like turning around, but George just pushed him back in. Ever since Luna had gone to her fifth month check-up his mother had been bombarding him with questions about the baby. Was it healthy? Does it have an oddly shaped head? What's the gender?

The ancient "boy or girl" question was the most popular among people. Fred didn't know and according to Luna's letter she didn't know either. He had written her back saying that he would join her in Hogsmeade in November. They would probably visit St. Mungo's that weekend as well to see the sex of the baby for the first time together.

Fred didn't care if it was a boy or girl, or if the baby had an oddly shaped head. He just wanted the baby healthy and alive.

"No, we're going to find out in November," Fred said as he walked past his mother to the living room where the majority of his family was.

"November?" Molly asked. "That's so far away though!"

"If we can wait, so can you, Mum," Fred said as he took a seat next to Percy on the couch. "But I think she did say something about a triangle-shaped head."

Molly looked like she was about to have a heart attack and Fred stifled a laugh. He quickly told her that he was just kidding and that the baby was perfectly fine.

"I still can't picture you with a child, Fred," Percy admitted.

"I think we're all having trouble picturing it," Charlie agreed.

There were several remarks of agreement, but Fred just tuned them out. Weird shaped head or not, he was going to have a kid. A kid with the woman he loved more than anything. He was beyond nervous, but happy more than anything.

His life was going pretty well in that moment. The world was slowly putting itself back together again and so was Fred's life. The shop was in order, he was back to living in the flat above it though. The cottage seemed terribly empty without Luna and he liked the loudness of the shop. Well, the loudness of George and Angelina next door wasn't the best thing, but he had learned to tune it out.

The only thing his life was suffering from in that moment was not being able to see Luna every single second. He had her letters, but those weren't even close to a replacement. It was especially hard to be away from her now that she was pregnant, but he just kept reminding himself of November.

He would just have to wait two months to see her again.


	95. Square

_043. Square_

Luna waited patiently in the Three Broomsticks. Fred was supposed to have met her there an hour ago, but he hadn't shown up yet. Ginny and Neville had waited with her for a few minutes, but both wanted to look around the shops.

So, there she was. The second Hogsmeade visit of the year and sitting all alone because Fred hadn't shown up yet. She sighed and took a sip of her water. If he wasn't there in the next five minutes then she would just apparate to St. Mungo's and go to the appointment by herself.

Just as that thought passed through Luna's head the door to the pub swung open and Fred came walking in. He saw her and immediately went to her, sitting across from her at the square-shaped table. He began to grin at her (probably attempting to see if he could get away with it) until he realized that she wasn't smiling back.

"You're a little late," Luna noted.

"I'm more than a little late, Lu," he said, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you late?" she asked.

Fred folded his hands together on top of the worn tabletop. The noise of the pub around him was throwing him off, but he knew that outside it would be just as bad. Finally after a long pause he began to compose his reasoning into words.

"I'm terrified," he admitted.

"Of going to a hospital?" Luna inquired, perking an eyebrow.

"No, no, that's not it," Fred said, shaking his head. "These past seven months have been absolute hell, we both know that. I've been so busy that I haven't even thought about being a father. And I'm beyond excited, but I'm also terrified. I don't think I can raise a child."

"Well, you're not doing it all by yourself," Luna said, taking his hand from across the table. "That still doesn't explain why you were so late though."

"I was just thinking," he shrugged. "Thinking about seeing our baby for the first time."

Luna nodded and gave a small smile before standing up. Fred looked up at her with confusion etched clearly across his face.

"I thought we were going to eat before we left for the hospital," Fred said. "I'm starving."

"Well, you should have thought of that before leaving me waiting for an hour," Luna chided. "I've already eaten and we're already late for our appointment."

Fred reluctantly stood up and took her hand as she led him out on to the street. They walked hand-in-hand through the street until they reached the end opposite of Hogwarts. Looking at each other they both nodded to show that they were ready before turning on the spot.

After the familiar and awful sucking sensation of apparation they arrived in the apparation entrance of St. Mungo's. The two were both familiar with the entrance so they didn't waste time looking around the perfectly square room. They walked into the hallway and headed toward the reception desk.

"Name?" the bored receptionist asked.

"Lovegood, Luna," Luna said.

The receptionist flipped through some files on her desk before extracting one, opening it, and squinting at a piece of parchment inside of it.

"Sixth floor," she announced.

Luna and Fred nodded before heading toward the elevator. Once inside the crowded box, Luna turned to Fred.

"I didn't know they had a sixth floor," she said.

"They must have added it on after the war," Fred shrugged.

After several other witches and wizards boarded and left the elevator they finally made it to the sixth floor. They walked out on to the floor to see a rather cheery hallway and a lot of babies and pregnant women.

"They all look like me," Luna said, placing a hand on her protruding stomach.

"Yeah, well you're pregnant, they're pregnant," Fred said.

Luna rolled her eyes at him just as a healer approached them.

"Name?" she asked.

"Lovegood, Luna," Luna said for the second time that day.

"And are you the father?" the healer asked, turning to Fred.

"Of the baby? Yeah," Fred said quickly, his face turning a light shade of pink.

"It's great to meet you, I'm Healer Cohen," she smiled brightly at them before gesturing for them to follow her.

She led them into yet another perfectly square room and motioned for Luna to sit down on a plush-looking operation chair. Luna sat down, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Since this is just a check-up it won't take long," Healer Cohen said as she pointed her wand at Luna's stomach.

"Um, don't I have to change into a hospital gown or something?" Luna asked. "I had to last time."

"No, it is easier that way, but it's not necessary," Healer Cohen shrugged. "Besides, I've been doing this for a long time. No need to worry."

After a few minutes of Healer Cohen pointing her wand at Luna to seemingly no effect, she was finally finished.

"Everything seems fine," she said. "Now, would you like to know the sex of the baby?"

Fred and Luna looked at each other. Fred nodded first to indicate that if she didn't care than neither did he. Luna pressed her lips together before turning to Healer Cohen.

"Um, yes we would like to know," Luna said.

"All right then," Cohen said as she once again pointed her wand to Luna.

After a few moments the wand tip gave a small flash and Healer Cohen excused herself from the room.

"Where do you think she's going?" Fred asked, looking through a small square window in the wall.

"I think she took a picture of the baby and is going to develop it," Luna shrugged. "That's what they offered to do last time."

Before Fred could say anything else Healer Cohen was back in the room. She had a few pieces of parchment in her hands. She handed them to Luna.

Luna and Fred peered down at the first photo. It was black and white and didn't have much motion to it. A blurry picture of a human-like shape appeared.

"That's your baby," Healer Cohen said. "That's your daughter."


	96. Club

_049. Club_

The winter holidays had finally arrived and Luna was officially done with school. She was also huge. The baby was due in a few weeks and she felt that the day couldn't come soon enough. Being pregnant was a beautiful thing, but it was also painful and often got in the way. Besides, she was eager to see her daughter.

A daughter who still didn't have a name. Fred and Luna had been mailing each other frequently, but neither could come up with a good name for their daughter. The names that they had suggested were all lovely names, but none of them seemed to fit. They all just felt empty.

With less than a month to figure out the name the suggestions were coming from more and more people. The entire Weasley family had pitched in names. Molly was the ringleader of it all; she often claimed that she was tired of calling her "the granddaughter".

Luna had reasoned with herself that they would find the perfect name eventually and rushing it just wouldn't be a good thing to do. Maybe they would wait until she was born to give her a name. They didn't have an exact plan in place yet.

Well, school was finally over and Luna didn't have to worry about it again (and for the last time) until June when she would take her N.E.W.T.s. By then their baby would be around five months-old. Luna smiled at the thought as she gingerly sat down in an armchair in the sitting room of the cottage.

Fred was at work, but would be home soon. Luna picked up a book from the coffee table and started to flip through the pages when the glimmer of her engagement ring caught her attention. Putting the book aside, Luna gazed down at her ring and let out a sigh. The date of their wedding was yet to be planned and with a baby in the picture she knew that they would be too busy to plan a proper one.

Planning ahead wasn't something either was good at. Throughout her pregnancy Luna had wondered if there was something they should have done. Something like joining a club. A pregnancy club of some sort. It sounded silly, but she just wondered if Mrs. Weasley's knowledge about childbirth was enough to go on. She knew Molly had given birth six times, but it had been a while since the last one.

The front door downstairs opened and Luna looked over the railing and down into the main room. Fred was taking off his shoes when he looked up to her and grinned. He dashed up the stairs and sat down on the armrest of the chair she was seated in.

"Good day?" he asked, giving her a small kiss in greeting.

"Yeah, it's been… calm," Luna said, searching for the right word.

"Well, you won't be bored in a few weeks," Fred said, giving her stomach a loving rub. "I'll be home with you and so will little… what's-her-name!"

"What's-her-name?" Luna asked incredulously. "You can't even say 'our daughter'?"

"It was just a joke, Lu," Fred shrugged.

Luna gave a small nod, still feeling slightly unconvinced. She wanted their daughter to have a beautiful name, but it just wasn't coming to either of them.

"Maybe we should join a club," Luna sighed.

"What kind of club?" Fred asked.

"A club for expecting parents," Luna suggested. "They'll probably give us naming and birthing tips."

Fred looked at her with a raised eyebrow for a few moments. It was obvious that he was trying to tell if she was being serious or not. Once he decided that she was indeed being serious, he started to shake his head.

"We don't need to join a club," he said. "The Weasley house is a club all by itself. We've got my parents for all of the kid raising stuff. And in one of their minds there has to be a perfect name. We already agreed on no middle name, the last name will be Weasley, and now we just need a first name. No club required."

Luna still looked doubtful, so Fred stood up and started pacing the room. She watched him go back and forth and didn't ask what he was doing because she knew he would tell her soon.

"We're going to come up with a name right now," he announced. "Allison!"

"No," Luna shook her head.

"Sarah!" he said.

"Not a chance," Luna continued to shake her head.

"Elizabeth," he suggested.

"No, no, no," Luna said, standing up as well. "A name that is unique, but not ridiculous."

"Like Luna?" he said, a small smile on his face.

"Well, yes, I suppose," she shrugged, sitting back down again.

Fred sat down on the edge of the coffee table and looked at her intently. She looked back with just as much intensity and he took her hand in his. They continued to look at each other, both with straight faces.

"How about Meara?" he asked.

"After my mother?" she said with a small wince. "No, I don't want to do that. Not after someone who's gone."

"Not even your mum?" he asked.

"No," Luna stated. "I don't want our daughter to think she's just a replacement for her. Definitely not."

Fred nodded in understanding and they both went back into silence. The perfect name might be a myth, but they wanted to know it more than anything. It was the one thing they were both yearning for.

"Fruna!" Fred exclaimed, excitement apparent on his face.

"Fruna?" Luna asked with a perked eyebrow. "No. That's awful, where did you come up with that?"

"It's a combination of our names," he revealed. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"I just said it was awful," Luna sighed.

She stood up and headed toward the bathroom. Fred watched her as she opened the door. She was about to step inside when another combination came into his head. It was a combination of their names, but much more subtle. Much nicer.

"Rena," he said.

Luna looked back at him and smiled as she thought about it. "Now that sounds perfect."


	97. Birth

_029. Birth_

The month of January had finally arrived and Luna found herself being quite wary of everything. Walking down the stairs, getting out of bed in the morning, even using the restroom set her in an uneasy mood. Healer Cohen had informed her that if the baby was late then they would have to take matters into the hospital's hands and "force" a delivery. Luna didn't like the sound of that at all.

She wanted to give Rena a natural birth and "forcing" a delivery did not seem like the right way to do that. They were almost a week into January and her planned due date was today. January 6th, a very nice day to have a baby. It was snowy and picturesque outside, but not completely terrible. Definitely more snow than ice.

Fred was in the kitchen making a pot of tea (one of the few things he knew how to make) while Luna remained cuddled up in the bed. A Herbology textbook was propped up against her belly as she tried desperately to remember N.E.W.T. terms. The test wasn't until June, but with her lack of knowledge in Herbology she assumed that studying could only help. And when it came to Herbology she needed all of the help she could get.

After semi-reading the first chapter Luna felt a sharp pain. She grasped at her stomach, but the pain was gone almost as if it had never happened to begin with. Ignoring this, she reluctantly flipped to the second chapter and started to absentmindedly read. It wasn't too long before she felt another pain and once again it was gone after she could even fully register it.

When the third pain hit she knew that she was probably having contractions. Contractions meaning that the baby was on its way. She was just about to shout for Fred when he came into the room with a mug of steaming tea in his hands.

"I've got your tea," he said, holding it out to her.

"Fred, the baby's coming," Luna said quickly, holding her stomach as another contraction hit.

"Has your water broken?" he asked already seeming to panic.

"No, that usually happens after contractions," Luna said, shaking her head.

"Oh, okay," Fred said. "So, should we go to the hospital?"

Luna gave him a look that basically said that he was an idiot and he quickly put down the mug of tea. Fred went to Luna's side of the bed and helped her stand up. They were both still in their pajamas, but neither cared as Fred waited for Luna's nod to show that she was okay to leave.

They disapparated and then appeared in the apparation entrance of St. Mungo's. Due to Luna's condition it was a bit hard to walk to the entrance so Fred signaled someone over to get them a wheelchair. It was some kind of chair that Muggles had invented that had wheels on it. Fred could only think of how unimaginative Muggles were. It was a very obvious name after all.

Without any sort of preamble they were rushed to the sixth floor and into an empty delivering room. Then they were left alone with a stack of paperwork that needed to be filled out. Fred sat down on a chair next to the bed and grabbed a provided quill and the first document that needed to be filled out.

"We should contact your parents," Luna said.

"The hospital said that they would contact them," Fred assured.

Luna nodded and then let her eyes roam around the room. Her contractions were coming more frequently and she felt that it was only a matter of time until her water broke. Her emotions were feeling very confused at that moment. She was happy to finally give birth and to see her daughter, and yet she was terrified. Becoming a mother was something that she had always wanted, but this was too soon.

As Fred filled out paperwork, Luna kept her thoughts focused on Rena. What would she look like? Pale, definitely pale. But would she be tall or short? Freckles or clear skin? Curly or straight hair? Red-headed or blonde? Blue or brown eyes? A complicated string of details were swimming through her head. Who would she be? A prankster or someone who dreamed of Nargles?

Only time would tell.

Just then another contraction hit her and she felt water starting to soak the bed. Her heart increased its pace as she frantically looked at Fred.

"Get Healer Cohen," she said quickly. "My water just broke."

Fred sat there gaping at her for a good five seconds until Luna slapped him on the arm and hastily pointed at the door.

"Go," she said, clutching her stomach as yet another contraction hit her.

He didn't need another warning, Fred quickly dashed out of the room and within a minute a very calm-looking Healer Cohen joined him in the room.

"So, your family has just arrived," Cohen said as she smiled at Luna.

"Great," Luna said bitterly.

It was all very frustrating as Healer Cohen continued to smile and treat everything like it was fine. Her assistants had joined her in the room now and were preparing it for delivery. One assistant confirmed with Luna that she had chosen natural birth and she had almost said no. But she remembered how she wanted this is be as natural as possible and had confirmed it.

Soon it got to the point where she was way under labor and Fred was convinced that she was going to break his hand. Healer Cohen kept telling her to push and Luna looked like she was about to kick her. She _was _pushing.

"I can see the head!" Healer Cohen announced.

Luna was almost on the point of crying with relief. With one final push Healer Cohen finally delivered the baby. She cleaned out the nostrils and mouth for Rena to breathe before passing her over to Luna.

Fred and Luna gazed down at the little bundle, but neither was focusing on things like eye color or freckles.

"She's pretty," Fred commented.

"She's _perfect_," Luna corrected.


	98. Life

_087. Life_

"I don't think I can do this anymore," Fred said as he slipped under the blankets next to Luna.

"Do what?" she asked, prying her eyes from her N.E.W.T. study guide.

"Keep waking up at four every morning," he groaned. "Do babies usually cry this much?"

"I think so," Luna said, shutting the book and turning off the light from her wand.

The darkness had settled in and the little cottage was completely silent. Luna pressed herself against Fred and the couple let out a contented sigh. They would finally be getting some sleep.

As if Rena had heard their thoughts of contentment, a baby's cry rang throughout the cottage. The couple groaned and stayed motionless in bed as the cry continued like a siren.

"Your turn," Fred said, nudging her in the side.

"I know," Luna sighed, pushing back the covers and getting out of bed.

She took her wand from the bedside table and headed out of the room and into the one next door. Inside of a crib lied Rena Weasley who was perfect in every way except for her apparent need to cry constantly. Luna scooped the small bundle into her arms as she turned on one of the dim lamps in the room with a flick of her wand.

Rena continued to cry and Luna sat down on a rocking chair in the room. She was beyond tired, but the needs of her daughter far outweighed her own. It was obvious what Rena needed, and Luna slipped down a part of her robe to expose her breast to Rena. Breastfeeding wasn't exactly the highlight of motherhood, but it was the one thing Rena didn't seem to have any problems with.

As Rena fed, Luna stroked her tiny head that was covered in strawberry blonde fuzz. Rena's blue eyes were currently shut and Luna envied the simple life her daughter led. There was nothing to worry about in Rena's world other than a dirty diaper. She was a gorgeous little girl with her pale skin and smattering of freckles across her nose.

Soon Rena started to finally sleep. Luna slipped her robe back up and gently placed her daughter back in the crib. She decided to keep the dim light on and as soon as she turned around she saw Fred leaning against the doorframe with a faint smile on his face.

"I love watching you do that," he said, walking into the room and gazing down at their daughter.

"Breastfeeding is hardly an attractive thing to watch," Luna said, poking him playfully in the side.

"Not that part of it," he shrugged. "I just like how calm you both look. Like nothing is wrong in life."

"Nothing _is_ wrong in life," Luna said.

Fred gave her an unconvinced smile, kissed the top of her head, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Luna leaned into him completely, overwhelmed by how tired she felt. They had been parents for almost a month and it was already draining her. The years when Rena had a mind of her own couldn't come soon enough.

"Sleep?" Fred suggested.

"I thought you'd never ask," Luna sighed.

She was just about to walk to the door when Fred scooped her up in his arms bridal style.

_Bridal style._

She had yet to be a bride. Marriage was something that she wanted. Sealing the deal of being a family was something she was looking forward to above all else. To be able to introduce them as husband and wife. A complete family was what she wanted.

After coming home from the hospital it had been nearly impossible to discuss anything but Rena. The Weasleys had been helping out constantly, but it seemed that the one baby consumed their lives now. Luna's 18th birthday had gone by and Luna hadn't even noticed until a few days after.

Now seemed like the perfect time though. It was in the middle of the night, so no interruptions. Rena was fast asleep. They were both a little more awake than usual.

Fred entered their room and placed her down on the bed before collapsing on to his side. They lied there motionless for a few moments before Fred slipped under the blankets and so did Luna.

"I love you," Luna said, turning to face him in the dark.

"I love you too," he said, his voice thick with sleep.

Another silence encompassed the mood and Luna knew that it was now or never. There would never be a more perfect time for her to ask him about it. It was obvious that he wasn't going to so she had to take matters into her own hands.

"Fred," she said softly.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"When are we going to get married?" she inquired.

"September 1st," he responded bluntly.

One more silence was strung above their heads and Luna thought about this abrupt answer. They had never discussed a date before, but he seemed so precise about it. It was if he had been waiting for to ask.

September 1st was seven months away. September 1st was the day the Hogwarts Express left. September 1st, 1992 was the first day they had met, seven years ago which felt like a lifetime.

"September 1st," Luna repeated. "That seems perfect."

"I thought so too," he said.

The last thing she heard from him for the rest of the night was very loud snoring. It didn't take long for her to start to doze off as well. Luna snuggled into his chest and in his sleep he wrapped an arm firmly around her. She felt safe and protected in his arms as her eyelids began to grow heavy.

Things were finally starting to turn out perfectly. The perfect house, the perfect man, the perfect daughter, the perfect wedding date.

Though there had been many imperfections along the way, Luna was very happy to call this life her own. She just couldn't wait to see what would happen next, good or bad, she didn't know.


	99. Years

_010. Years_

It was the morning of September 1st, 1999. Several people were bustling around a cottage in the middle of a deserted field. The cottage itself was lovely. Two stories with high windows and the outer wood a dark, but warm shade. There was a clear lake in front of the cottage surrounded by tall, willowy trees and small cherry trees. Flowers were blooming at the edge of the porch. An archway had been made in front of the lake along with a short aisle, both sides occupied by white foldout chairs.

Currently, only a few people were seated in the chairs while the rest were inside the cottage, hurriedly getting everything together for the big day. Inside were family members and close friends only. Everyone was moving decorations or tying to find a certain piece of something or other that was missing. It was all very hectic and a crying baby girl wasn't helping the chaos at all.

"Oh, don't cry, sweetie," Molly Weasley cooed to the frantic child. "Today is such a happy day."

Rena wouldn't stop crying though and Molly made her way up the stairs to the nursery. Inside of the bright and cheery room were four individuals. Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley were putting the finishing touches on their hair as they smoothed out their light blue bridesmaid dresses. Neville Longbottom was crouching beside the rocking chair as he talked to the person occupying it while he looked quite uncomfortable in his black dress robes.

The person in the rocking chair was Luna Lovegood. Luna had already changed into her wedding dress and her hair looked flawless. She looked stunning in her white dress which was simple yet charming. Her hair was pulled back in a complicated bun, pearls embedded throughout it. With her looking so beautiful and as dreamy as usual, Mrs. Weasley felt awful about handing Rena over to her.

Luna took her daughter with a smile though, cradling her in her arms as she rocked back and forth in the chair. Neville, Rena's appointed godfather, smiled at the baby girl in his best friend's arms. Hermione and Ginny were finally done with their appearances and looked at the baby as well.

"I don't know how you do it," Ginny said, looking at the bundle that had ceased crying.

"She just wants her mother, that's all," Molly said.

No one talked as Rena calmed down considerably in her mother's arms. Luna looked to Mrs. Weasley.

"Are you sure you're all right with taking her for all of next week?" Luna asked. "We can cut the honeymoon short."

"Oh no, don't you do something silly like that," Mrs. Weasley chided. "I love having a baby in the house again."

Soon there would be two babies in the family. Fleur was due with her first child in early May and Luna knew that babysitting opportunities would become slimmer. She didn't mind though, she cherished her daughter and Fred did as well.

"It's almost time," Hermione announced as she glanced at the clock on the wall.

Everyone looked at the clock and saw that the ceremony would start in ten minutes. Mrs. Weasley took Rena back in her arms and gave Luna a few words of encouragement before bustling out of the door. Hermione and Ginny also headed out after giving hugs to Luna, leaving her alone with Neville. The pair sat in comfortable silence as they heard the noise downstairs travel into the front yard.

In the master bedroom, just a door over, sat Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. They were all glancing at the clock on the wall, George and Lee looking amused and Fred looking nervous. The noises downstairs were dispersing and Fred inhaled deeply.

"Want a shot?" George offered as he poured himself a shot of firewhiskey.

"No," Fred said, shaking his head and watching his brother pass the bottle to Lee.

George and Lee looked at each other, nodded, and took the shot at the same time. They set their glasses on the bedside table before standing up. Both looked expectedly at Fred and he exhaled the breath he had been holding.

The trio stood up and headed out into the hall. They passed the closed door of the nursery and Fred had the sudden urge to burst in there and take Luna away. They didn't need this wedding, it wasn't really necessary.

But Luna wanted it and that should be enough for him.

Fred followed George and Lee downstairs to the main hall where Hermione and Ginny were standing. Ginny was the Maid of Honor and George was the Best Man. Fred would walk out first and to the end of the aisle. After that were Lee and Hermione, then George and Ginny. After they were all outside Neville and Luna would make their way down the aisle.

Mr. Weasley had offered to walk Luna down the aisle, but she had politely declined. She had told Fred that she wanted Neville to do it. He was her best friend after all and was always looking after her. This was fine by Fred, especially since Neville had actually brought a date to the wedding. Peeking past the curtains, he looked out on to the lawn to see Hannah Abbott sitting on the bride's side next to an empty chair in the front row.

A cough was heard behind them and the group looked over to see Neville standing at the top of the stairs giving them a nod. This was the cue they had been waiting for and Fred felt all of their eyes lock on to him.

Fred turned to face the door, took another deep breath, and opened the door of the cottage. The music instantly began as he walked down the porch steps and to the archway that had been set up in front of the lake. He reached the end quickly and stood awkwardly in front of his family and friends. Hermione and Lee came out next, their arms looped together. Once they got to the end of the aisle they split apart and stood in their proper positions. George and Ginny were next and did the same thing.

The music then changed to the bridal march and everyone stood as Neville and Luna walked out of the cottage. Neville looked uncomfortable from all of the attention, but kept a brave face on as he walked down the porch steps with Luna at his side.

Once Fred's eyes met Luna's there wasn't a doubt in his mind. They had been waiting years for this moment. He had known her for seven years and he wondered why it had taken him so long. Why had he waited seven years for this moment? She looked beautiful in the dress with that hairstyle, hell she looked beautiful in anything.

Finally, Neville and Luna reached the front. After pulling her veil back and kissing her awkwardly on the cheek, Neville passed Luna's hand to Fred. Neville then sat down in his seat next to Hannah and Luna walked the last few steps toward Fred. She then turned around and handed her bridal bouquet to Ginny before giving Fred her other hand.

The ceremony officiator started to talk about their love throughout the years and the bonding of man and woman, but neither Fred nor Luna was paying any attention to that. Only when it got to the time for rings and to say "I do" did they pay any attention.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the officiator said, smiling broadly. "You may kiss the bride."

Fred didn't need to be told twice as he bent his head down and captured Luna's lips with his own. She wrapped her arms around his neck instantly and it took a few coughs to get them to separate. They were finally announced Mr. and Mrs. Fred Weasley as they walked back down the aisle, together this time.

Almost all of the women were crying, Molly being no exception at all. Little Rena was being held so tightly in her arms that Luna almost thought about going to her daughter to release her from her grandmother's crushing embrace. This didn't happen though since she was being ushered from one group of people to the next.

The congratulations went on for ages and it felt like years before everyone went into the cottage for the reception. Once the reception was well underway Fred and Luna escaped upstairs to their bedroom to get some privacy.

"I didn't think it would be this crazy," Luna sighed as she sat down on the bed.

"Me neither," Fred said, sealing the door with his wand before turning to Luna.

He took a moment to take her in. She was sitting on the bed with her hair still up and looking perfect. She had taken off her shoes so her pale feet were sticking out from the bottom of her dress. The dress itself was simple, but beautiful. It was strapless and had a sweetheart neckline that remained modest. The waist was cinched and the bottom was full. Simple, but perfect for Luna.

Fred sat down next to her on the bed and placed a kiss on the side of her neck.

"Happy?" he asked.

"Very," she confirmed, pressing her lips against his.

Luna expected him to deepen the kiss, but instead he put his forehead to hers and looked into her blue eyes.

"I'm in love with you," he said.

"And I'm in love with you," she said, a small smile playing on her lips.

The couple sat there looking at the other happily, both feeling very content. It was the moment they had been waiting years for and it was just perfect.


	100. New Beginnings

_100. New Beginnings_

_11 Years Later – September 1__st__, 2010_

It was around four o'clock in the morning when the loud creaking of floorboards woke them up. The sound wasn't uncommon in the cottage, and this early and on this particular day it was a given. The couple in bed tried to ignore the noise but all it took was one nudge from the other to agree that they would have to do something.

"Maybe we should just act like we're asleep," Fred suggested in a hushed voice.

"She'll see right through that and you know it," Luna said as she turned over in bed to face him.

The first streams of light hadn't even come out yet, it was still pitch black outside. This made it entirely too early in the morning for anyone to be awake.

"We could act like we're dead," Fred shrugged.

His eyes were adjusting to the dark though and the look Luna gave him made him take back the suggestion quickly. Their daughter was about to come bursting through those doors and start bouncing on their bed like she did every Christmas morning. Then she wouldn't leave the room until they had convinced her that it was too early. This convincing usually took an hour.

"Or we could just do what we always do," Luna mumbled, curling into his chest slightly feeling like she would fall back asleep at any moment.

"Talk to her?" Fred asked. "Really, Lu? That's going to take hours."

"She might surprise you," Luna said.

Someone had turned the light on in the hallway. The creaking floorboards had stopped and it was only a matter of time before the door would swing open. Fred shut his eyes and pretended like he was asleep and so did Luna. A few seconds later they heard the door open. Small feet padded across the hardwood floor of their bedroom, and then the bed sunk in slightly.

"Are you two awake?" a small voice asked.

"No," Fred groaned, pretending like she had just woken them up.

Fred and Luna opened their eyes to see the dim outline of their daughter sitting upright at the foot of their bed. Luna grabbed her wand from her bedside table and flicked it at the ceiling light. This proved to be a mistake though. The room was soon flooded in light and Fred and Luna shielded their eyes with their hands.

"Oh, Merlin, that's bright," Fred groaned.

"No it's not," Rena said as she glanced around the room. "I think it's just fine."

"How long have you been awake for your eyes to adjust that well?" Luna asked, sitting up and blinking rapidly.

"A few… hours," Rena said slowly.

"Rena, sweetie, you need more sleep than that," Luna said, propping up her pillows against the headboard.

Rena gave a small smile as she watched her parents finally adjust to the bright light of the room. Luna had already adjusted, sitting cross-legged on top of the covers and beckoning her daughter to come to her. Fred, on the other hand, was blinding walking toward the wardrobe to grab a t-shirt. He had fallen asleep in his flannel pajama pants, but no shirt. Once he had pulled a gray t-shirt over his head he went back to the bed and sat down on the side of it, his feet touching the floor.

"Your mum's right," Fred said, reaching over to tousle Rena's long, strawberry blonde curls. "Go back to sleep, we'll wake you up when it's time."

"I don't think I can go back to sleep though," Rena argued. "I'm too excited."

"But you'll be so tired tomorrow," Luna pressed. "If you get sleep now then you'll be able to enjoy all of tomorrow. Do you really want to fall asleep during the feast?"

It appeared that Rena was trying to think of a good comeback to this. A look was exchanged between Fred and Luna that said basically the same thing, "She's going to bed now". That was the first thought until Rena's face lit up with a response.

"I'll just sleep on the train!" she exclaimed.

This was obviously not the response they were expecting. It wasn't one that threw them completely off either.

"But the train is one of the best parts," Luna said.

"I think it will get boring eventually," Rena shrugged.

"I can never remember it being boring," Fred said, shaking his head.

Luna resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He had fallen asleep on the train ride more times than she could remember. The first time was always exciting though.

"What if I don't get tired though?" Rena proposed. "What if I only get tired when it's time to go to bed? When I'm in my dorm?"

Arguments were growing thin. Luna and Fred shared a glance and sighed. It was time to play the final move.

"Well, you can stay awake if you want to," Luna said.

"Yeah, but we'll be asleep," Fred said as he pushed back the covers on the bed and slipped under them. "So, good night. See you in a few hours."

Luna followed Fred's lead and repositioned her pillows before going back under the blankets. Rena continued to sit on the bed as she watched them get ready for bed again. Luna grabbed her wand from the bedside table. She pointed toward the ceiling light once again before giving her daughter a meaningful look.

"I'll turn the light off when you're out of the room," she said. "I don't want you to trip because of the dark."

"But if you go to bed now I'll be all alone," Rena blurted out.

Checkmate.

"Then maybe you should go to sleep," Fred said. "Don't chance falling asleep at the Sorting or anything. You might get sorted into Hufflepuff if you do that."

This seemed to effectively scare her. Rena quickly said her good nights before walking out of the room and to hers next door.

"Not that there's anything wrong with Hufflepuff!" Luna called after her daughter.

After waiting a few moments to make sure Rena was in her room and not coming back out, Luna closed the door with a flick of her wand and turned out the light.

"What time is it now?" Luna asked.

Fred grabbed his watch from his own bedside table. He pressed a button on the side of it and the face lit up.

"About 4:30," he groaned. "So, about four and a half hours of sleep till we get up."

"All right then," Luna sighed. "Good night."

"Good night," Fred said in return.

They fell back asleep in seconds.

The past eleven years had been filled with many different things. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes now had branches in every major Wizarding community. It was doing extremely well and bringing in tons of profits. Fred and George didn't keep all of the money to themselves though. It went to family, friends, the rebuilding of Hogwarts, and many other places. Of course Fred and George weren't alone when it came to the shop. Not only did they have their several employees, but Lee and Ron had even helped out with it. The latter two had gone off to do other things, but they had been a huge help when Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was still trying to make a name for itself out in the world.

Luna was finally able to pursue her dream of becoming a naturalist. She had been hesitant to take on the job at first since Rena was still growing up, but she accepted it in the end. Being in nature and discovering new things was something that she loved and it made her feel closer to her father in a strange way. She was good at it too. In the first few years of being a naturalist she already discovered new plant and animal species that no one else had. It was a very rewarding and inspiring job and she was happy that she had decided it as her profession.

Before becoming a naturalist though Luna was determined to have an at home job. Since Fred was usually at the shop for the majority of the day it was hard not to be bored. She had Rena and was visited constantly, but she wanted to actually do something. So, after sending out a few owls she had contacted the old staff of _The Quibbler. _The magazine was printing once again and was more popular than before. They were even able to get their own office at _The Daily Prophet _building. It had become a huge success and Luna approved everything that went into the magazine, keeping it true to her father's original image.

It was impossible to forget Xenophilius Lovegood and all that he had done. He had raised Luna, protected her, and always been there. Every year on May 2nd the family of three would make go to where Luna's old house used to stand. It was now a memorial cemetery for everyone who had lost their life in the Battle of Hogwarts. It was always crowded on that day since May 2nd was the anniversary, but it was never lonely and she knew that her father would never be forgotten. The cemetery was where his house used to be after all.

Everyone had gotten married except for Charlie. This had agitated Mrs. Weasley slightly, but in the end she was more than happy to have so many grandchildren. Bill and Fleur had three children, Percy and his wife Audrey had two daughters, George had married Angelina after a lot of coaxing and the two had a son and a daughter. Of course Ron and Hermione had gotten married with a daughter and son, and so did Harry and Ginny with three children of their own. It was safe to say that Weasley family holidays were very cramped at the Burrow. Not to mention Neville and Hannah being honorary Weasley guests as well even though they didn't have any children of their own.

With everyone having so many children it was easy for Luna and Fred to decide that Rena was enough. They had discussed having more children, but it never seemed like it was the right choice for either of them. Rena was all they needed and they were very happy to have her in their lives. Besides, she was highly jealous of any child who got too close to Fred or Luna. Mrs. Weasley was a little disappointed that they weren't going to have more, her argue being that she thought Rena would be lonely. Rena was best friends with Bill and Fleur's daughter, Victoire, and Harry's godson, Teddy, so getting lonely was never a problem.

When this trio decided to get together for a play date it seemed that the cottage was always the first choice. The cottage had become the perfect spot for the small family to live. It was great for impromptu Quidditch games, hide and seek, climbing trees, and teaching all of the Weasley grandchildren how to swim. All of the kids were great swimmers except for Percy's youngest daughter, Lucy. Luna could still remember the little girl stomping angrily out of the lake, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose and trying to air out her book like a fan.

Rena, on the other hand, was born to be in water. During the summer she would swim in the lake from the time she got up to before she went to bed at night. When Fred had told her about the giant squid in the lake at Hogwarts she was ready to pack up and leave for school. She had been seven at the time. Now her love for swimming had toned down a bit, but it was still her favorite summer pastime. This set Fred at ease since he had claimed that he didn't want her getting a boyfriend anytime soon even though she was still just eleven.

Getting a boyfriend was a high probability for Rena though. She was of average height for her age, this being the cause of her father being so tall and her mother being so short. Her hair reached her waist and was a delicately curled sheet of strawberry blonde. Freckles only occupied the bridge of her nose, but her skin was as pale as any other Weasley. Just like her mother she had large round blue eyes. From the time she was born till the present every single stranger had gone up to her and cooed over how pretty she was.

This cooing usually stopped when she either made a rude comment at them or just ignored them completely. Even though she looked more like Luna, she was almost completely like Fred. Being the oldest of the Weasley grandchildren made her the ringleader of them all. She wasn't bossy or overbearing, just a little sarcastic and always joking. When she was only around Fred and Luna was when she toned it down and it was clear that she was Luna's daughter as well. She was much quieter and always seemed to be doodling in the upstairs sitting room or gazing out of a window absentmindedly.

At 29 and 32 years-old it seemed like the age gap between Fred and Luna was now completely nonexistent. The thing that had been so prominent all of those years ago was almost laughable now. They were a unit and it was obvious to people that they were still as in love as they had been when they had first started dating. People always thought it was so strange for them to have an eleven year-old daughter since they were still so young, but they didn't let those opinions affect them. They were happier now than ever before.

The day had finally come though. It was the day that Rena would be going off to her first year at Hogwarts. At nine o'clock in the morning Fred and Luna lied in their bed and looked at the clock on the wall, both wide awake.

"I guess we should wake her up now," Luna sighed as she turned her head to face him.

"Yeah," Fred agreed with a nod.

They didn't get out of the bed though. Even though they were both still so young it was strange for them to think about their daughter going off to school.

"I remember my first day at Hogwarts," Luna said. "I met some fourth year boy who obviously felt embarrassed about talking to me in front of his friends."

"Ha-ha, very funny," Fred said before he realized something. "You don't think that she'll meet an older boy, do you?"

"I think she'll meet an older boy, but I don't think they'll get too far," Luna said.

"Why's that?" Fred asked.

"I asked Neville to look after her," Luna shrugged as she pushed back the covers of the bed and stood up.

"Have I told you that I love you today?" Fred asked, also getting out of bed. "Because I do."

Luna just gave a small laugh as they walked out of the room and to the door of Rena's room. Fred opened the door just a crack to see Rena fast asleep in her bed. He opened the door completely and walked into the room. Light was streaming through the curtains giving the room a soft glow.

It had changed drastically from the times it had been a nursery. The walls were still painted yellow and the carpet remained gray, but other than that it was completely different. The only piece of furniture that hadn't been removed from the room was the rocking chair that still sat in the corner. Now there was a new bed, wardrobe, and desk. Her walls were covered with picture frames and posters.

"Rena," Fred said as he sat down on the edge of his daughter's bed. "It's time to get up."

When it came to Rena there was so moaning and groaning about how early it was to be awake. Especially since it was the day she had been waiting for. Rena opened her eyes slowly, registered what her father had told her, and then quickly made her way to her wardrobe. She flung it open and grabbed a change of clothes before dashing out into the hall. Fred and Luna heard the linen closet open and close before Rena headed to the bathroom. Within seconds they heard the water start running for a bath and the toilet flush.

"I think she's excited," Luna observed.

"Couldn't tell," Fred shrugged as he made his way back over to her.

The couple made their way down into the kitchen. Fred began to make a pot of tea (the only thing he ever contributed to any meal) while Luna got to work making biscuits.

"I really don't want her to leave," Luna confessed suddenly. "I don't think she's ready to be on her own."

"Lu, we've been over this a thousand times," Fred sighed, walking toward her and wrapping his arms around her. "She will be just fine. It's not as if she's going off to live alone in the world. She's just going to school, she'll be back in December for the holidays."

Luna gave a small, unconvinced nod as she placed the pan of biscuits in the oven. Even though making biscuits using magic took less than a minute she preferred to do it properly. It took more time, but she always thought that the overall outcome was better.

"Stop worrying," Fred said, kissing the top of her head and rubbing the small of her back. "Besides we'll finally have the house to ourselves. Just you and me and zero interruptions."

Luna rolled her eyes at his proposal, but that was one thing she was looking forward to. She was eager to have it back to just her and Fred. It had been a while since they could fully be intimate without having any fears of being interrupted.

Breakfast continued on. The pot of tea was done quickly enough and the biscuits were out of the oven as well. Luna had just started stirring together a bowl of mixed fruit when Rena came into the kitchen fully dressed and with a towel on her head holding in her wet hair.

"What's for breakfast?" she asked, pouring herself a mug of tea before sitting next to Fred at the kitchen table.

"Biscuits, mixed fruit, and eggs if you want," Luna said.

"Eggs, please," Rena said.

"Same here," Fred agreed.

"And how do you want them?" Luna asked.

"Scrambled," Rena and Fred said at the same time.

Luna nodded and began to prepare two servings of scrambled eggs into a large skillet. The yolks were just beginning to solidify into fluffy egg when Fred stood up and got biscuits for him and Rena.

"Do you want any fruit, Rena?" Fred asked.

"Sure," she said, nodding.

It was hard for Luna not to smile at this exchange. This was how breakfasts went for them most days. Luna was always cooking while Fred felt it was his duty to serve everyone. Rena would just sit at the table and let it be served to her. She was a bit spoiled, but when Luna thought about how Fleur basically spoon fed all of her children she felt better about it.

Breakfast was finally finished and the three sat at the table eating in comfortable silence. It wasn't long before Rena finished eating and sat at the table, looking at both of them expectedly. She looked like she was trying to figure out what to say to them, what to ask them. The subject of these questions without a doubt being Hogwarts. It seemed typical that any eleven year-old would be nervous about their first day of school. Rena had been homeschooled with her cousins for the first ten years of her life and now she was going off to an actual school.

"So, what's Hogwarts like?" Rena asked, trying to keep her tone conversational.

"Big," Fred said bluntly.

"Magical," Luna chimed in.

"I'm serious," Rena pressed.

"So are we," Fred shrugged. "It's big and magical. We're not lying."

"You know what I mean," Rena said softly. "What if I'm not smart enough to be in Ravenclaw? Or brave enough to be in Gryffindor? What if I'm not a good enough flyer? What if my grades are awful? What if everyone thinks I'm a freak and doesn't talk to me?"

These questions seemed to pour out of her mouth without any intention of stopping. Rena seemed genuinely scared of Hogwarts and that made Luna worry. Had they given her the wrong impression?

"Rena we don't care what house you're in," Fred said, wrapping an arm around her tiny shoulders. "You're not going to get on the Quidditch team your first year, so don't worry about that. You'll have Neville to help you with your school work along with Teddy. Everything will be fine."

"And if everyone thinks I'm a freak?" she asked meekly.

Fred opened and closed his mouth as he tried to think of the proper response to this. He gave up though and turned to look at Luna. Rena also looked at her mother, her blue eyes wide and frightened.

"You'll be just fine as long as you have one person looking out her you," Luna said, leaning across the table and resting her hand on top of one of Rena's. "So far you already have two."

"But Neville's a professor," Rena protested. "He doesn't count. Besides Teddy has his own friends and as soon as Victoire starts coming to school next year all of his attention is going to be on her."

"Why would all of his attention be on her?" Fred asked.

"It's obvious that he has a crush on her," Rena said.

Luna and Fred exchanged a look as both made a mental note to share this with Bill and Fleur and Teddy's grandmother, Andromeda, soon. They both put that thought from their heads and went back to Rena's anxiety.

"You'll find someone," Luna assured. "I only had one friend through most of my first year and he had tons of other friends. Everything will work out just fine."

Rena knew exactly who she was talking about too. The topic of how Fred and Luna met was a popular one among social gatherings.

"I suppose you're right," Rena said, giving a nod.

Her tone didn't indicate that she doubted this at all. She stood up from the table and took the towel off of her head, her long hair still damp and tumbling down her back.

"I'm going to go finish packing," she announced.

Fred and Luna watched her walk out of the kitchen before turning to each other.

"Gryffindor, definitely," Fred said with a firm nod.

"I wouldn't count Ravenclaw out just yet," Luna said, standing up. "I'm going to go help her pack. Are you all right with cleaning the kitchen up?"

"Just fine," he said.

On that note Luna headed out of the kitchen and went upstairs to Rena's room. The door was wide open and Rena was tossing everything in sight into her trunk. Luna watched amusedly as clothes went flying into the trunk as Rena dashed around the room trying to find something that she thought she needed.

"Packing lightly, hm?" Luna asked from the doorway.

"Not at all," Rena said, giving her mother a small shake of the head.

Luna pressed her lips together before heading out of the room and into her own. She went to her bedside table which had a jewelry box resting on top of it. Opening it, Luna gazed at the sapphire triangle resting inside. She picked it up and made sure the silver chain attached to it wasn't tangled before closing the box and heading toward Rena's room.

In the short time she had been gone it was easy to see that Rena was finally finishing up. She was in the process of cramming all of her toiletry items into the trunk when Luna came into the room. Luna sat down on Rena's bed and watched as her daughter sat on the trunk, trying to clasp it with her combined weight on the lid.

"I want to give you something," Luna said as soon as the trunk had closed.

"Give me what?" Rena asked.

Luna showed her the necklace and Rena moved closer to get a better look. Rena usually had no interest in jewelry but it seemed that this necklace sparked her attention.

"It was your grandmother's," Luna shared.

"Really?" Rena asked, perking an eyebrow. "I can't see Grandma wearing that."

"Not Molly," Luna said with a shake of her head. "My mother, Meara."

It was clear that Rena wasn't expecting this. She quickly started to shake her head back and forth.

"I can't take that, Mum," she said. "That's way too important to you."

"It should be important to you too," Luna said. "She would have wanted you to have it."

There were no more arguments after that. Rena took the necklace from Luna and looked at it quickly. Then she brought the chain around her neck and clasped the back. She looked down at her chest and saw the triangle resting on her heart before giving a small smile.

"Thanks, Mum," Rena said, standing up and giving Luna a hug.

Luna returned the hug instantly and kissed the side of Rena's head. Once the two separated from each other they shared a smile. Fred came into the room and tapped his finger against the face of his watch.

"We really need to get going," he said. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Rena said with a small nod of her head.

Fred grabbed Rena's trunk and all three headed downstairs. After locking up the house they all stood on the front porch with Rena holding on to each of her parents' hands. Usually apparating with someone so young was illegal, but since Fred and Luna lived in the middle of nowhere Kingsley had allowed them to apparate this time.

When they arrived at King's Cross it was easy to see that Rena hadn't cared for apparation so much. She was unbalanced on her feet and looked like she was about to be sick. After waiting a few minutes to make sure she was all right, the family headed into the station. They got a cart for her trunk and walked through the station toward platforms 9 and 10.

They reached the platforms easily and stopped once they were in front of them.

"Do I really have to run through the wall?" Rena asked, wincing slightly.

"Just get a running start and go for it," Fred encouraged. "We can go together if you want."

Rena gave a frantic nod to her father and Fred took one of her hands in his. Fred gave the cart with Rena's trunk to Luna. After counting to three Fred and Rena dashed toward the brick wall and disappeared instantly. Luna waited a few seconds before pushing the cart toward the wall casually and disappearing from sight.

Platform 9¾ was bustling with the usual large crowds of witches and wizards. Some students were already telling their parents goodbye even though the train wouldn't leave for another fifteen minutes. Luna handed over Rena's trunk to one of the train operators who promised to put it in the luggage area.

It didn't take long for Luna to find Rena and Fred since they had already found Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who were there to see Rena off. As Luna walked up to the group she saw someone familiar from the corner of her eye.

Neville was looking slightly nervous all by himself in the crowd of people. He was indeed a professor at Hogwarts now, but it was his first year teaching. After the battle he had become an Auror, surprising several people. He had retired from that job though and was now going to be teaching Herbology.

"I didn't think professors rode the train to Hogwarts," Luna greeted.

"They don't," Neville said, smiling as he gave her a brief hug. "I'm going to apparate to Hogsmeade after I see Rena off."

"You're such a good godfather," Luna teased as she began to lead him toward the small group she had been heading toward.

"Yeah, well I try," Neville shrugged as he scratched the back of his neck.

"How's Hannah?" Luna asked.

"Oh, she's fine," Neville said, giving a small nod.

Things between Neville and Hannah hadn't been going too well lately. It seemed that Neville taking the job at Hogwarts only made things between them worse, but Luna hadn't interjected. It was their problem and she didn't want to intervene.

Luna didn't press the subject anymore as they approached Fred, Rena, Molly, and Arthur. Neville was her best friend and she knew when to respect his boundaries.

"Neville!" Rena exclaimed as soon as she saw Luna walking toward them with her godfather in tow.

Rena completely dropped herself from the conversation she had been having with her grandparents and made a beeline toward him. Neville's face broke out into a huge grin as he enveloped the little girl in a huge hug.

"What are you doing here?" she asked excitedly. "I thought you said I wouldn't see you until tonight."

"I just wanted to see you off," Neville said, crouching down to her level.

The pair started to talk amongst themselves and Luna turned toward Fred and his parents. Fred wrapped an arm around Luna and she leaned into him slightly.

"She'll be fine," Molly said as if reading her mind.

"I know," Luna said, nodding.

Glancing at the clock at the far end of the station was all it took for her to feel truly sad. The train was leaving in five minutes. Just five minutes and her little girl would be on her own. She had never wanted Neville to wrap up a conversation so badly before.

"I think you're more nervous than she is, Lu," Fred joked as he looked at his wife's anxious face.

Luna rolled her eyes at him just as Neville and Rena rejoined the group.

"It's going to be so weird calling you 'Professor Longbottom'," Rena said.

"You'll get used to it," Luna said before Neville suggested that she just call him by his first name.

The whistle of the train started to blow signaling that there were only a couple of minutes left. The small group quickly made their way toward the train. From the corner of her eye Luna saw Teddy Lupin saying goodbye to his grandmother as he boarded the train. She watched as he walked down the train aisle before sticking his head out of a window, his hair a bright turquoise.

"Hey, Rena," he greeted. "You better get on, it's about to leave."

Rena looked up at where Teddy was. A look of panic and uncertainty clouded her features.

"Oh, right," she said slowly. "Save me a seat!"

"I will," he assured before ducking his head out of the window.

Quickly, Rena hugged her grandparents goodbye. She gave a final hug to Neville even though she would see him again in less than twelve hours. Finally, she said goodbye to Fred and Luna.

"Don't be nervous," Luna said as she gave her daughter a tight hug. "I'll write as soon as I can."

"You'll be great," Fred said as he too hugged Rena.

Rena gave a firm nod and after another round of "I love you" and "goodbye" she finally boarded the train. It was only seconds before the train started to speed away. Once it was out of sight Neville, Molly, and Arthur all said their own goodbyes before apparating away.

"Missing her already?" Fred asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, I started missing her an hour ago," Luna said.

Fred gave a chuckle as they watched everyone disapparate. It wasn't long before they were the only two left on the platform. Fred took Luna's hands in his and leaned down to press his forehead against hers.

"The cottage is going to be so quiet without her," Luna said.

"I know," he agreed, a small smile playing on his face.

"Are you smiling?" Luna asked, perking an eyebrow. "Are you _happy _that our daughter is gone?"

"No, I'm just very happy about my life right now," he shrugged. "I love you."

"I love you too," Luna said, unsure about where this was going.

"And I am so happy that I fell in love with that strange, little girl that I was embarrassed to talk to in front of my friends," he said.

"And I'm glad that I fell in love with that fourth year boy who had way too many Wrackspurts buzzing around his head," she said.

They both shared a small laugh before bringing their lips together.

Everything was perfect when it came to them, because no matter what, it was always consumed of pranks and Nargles.

**The End.**


	101. AN: Thank You

_000. Thank You_

So, it's been two days since the last chapter and I'm staying true to the every other day updating to post this. This isn't a chapter, but an author note where I would like to express my gratitude to all of you readers.

Even though there are fanfictions that are much longer and go on for years, I feel really blessed that this story has gotten as much attention as it has. Starting off I was almost positive that no one would read this story since Fruna is such a weird pairing. I thought I would be lucky to get one review a chapter, summing up to 100 reviews. So, with the last chapter posted I am amazed that it's hit more than 600 reviews.

Fruna was something that I hadn't thought of until I thought of George/Luna to be honest. George/Luna has gotten tons of love from the fanfiction community and I had always wondered why Fred/Luna never got the same kind of attention. So, I checked out the Fred/Luna section on fanfiction and was highly disappointed. None of the stories were of a long length and that genuinely saddened me. I decided to take matters into my own hands and wrote a 15,000 word one-shot, _Distance_. The reception I got from that story was great, so a few months later I decided to try out the fanfic100 challenge from Live Journal. That is where this story was born.

One hundred chapters and 200 days later and the story is finished. To be honest I probably won't write another Fruna story since I've already written so much of it already. I want to read Fruna stories now, and even though there are more than before, I'm still having trouble finding a chapter story for them.

I know that saying this will upset some of you but there will not be a direct sequel to _Of Pranks and Nargles_. I don't think there's much left for Fred and Luna in this story.

To address one more thing, I am not taking requests. Especially slash, femslash, or M-rated fics. No offense to any writers or readers of those genres, but it really isn't my thing.

I'll now end this with a final thank you to all of you guys. Whether you're reading this a year after the ending was posted or you've been here from the beginning, thank you. If you reviewed, added this to your favorites, or put it on your story alert list, thank you. I'm very happy to have such amazing readers and reviewers.

Thank you once again! God bless!

- Erin aka linksofmemories


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